Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-03-22
FEEDING Mich COWS.
How to Keep Stock in Good Working O.
dition All the Time.

/ AAo" ~ nCcp StOCA IN GOOu w Ofk1nS COus
dition All the Time.
A cow of good age. say five to seven
years old OF older, that will give fifteen
quarts of milk a day on dry feed. get
ting all she will eat of both hay and
grain. and being kept in good working
condition all the time, will upon prop
erly- prepared feed, hay and grain. in
moist condition. produce twenty-five
quarts day. When / make this as
sertion / make it und erstandingly,
having observed actual results for a
series of years, and I can honestly say
that / have not the least reason for
changing my opinion as to the rela-
tive value of the two methods of feed
ing.
The first object of study in my own
case is TO keep the stock in good work
ing condition all the time. Whatever
may be the experience of others, nv
own is that can not do this with any
degree of certainty upon dry feed,
and feel sure that I shall not have
trouble sooner or later from attacks of
garget. milk fever at parturition and
sudden dIsarrangement of the digestive
organs. / have come to believe that
milk fever is induced, in ninety-nine
cases out of one hundred, from feed
ing dry grain while the cow is in
milk
A very positive advantage in feeding
grain in moist condition is that tho
cow can as a rule consume very much
more and with perfect safety. Also
that vegetables, which have heretofore
been considered Objectionable because
of the odor impaired to the milk, can
be fed in unstinted quantity when
mixed with warm, sloppy feed. There
is value in variety, and one can better
understand the full meaning of this
upon trial. Nearly every farm in the
land produces variety of forage
crops Every farm can produce a
variety of root crops, if there is dis
position so to do on the part of the
owner OF manager.
The time to commence this system
of feeding is at calving, because some
cows will not take to any thing of this
kind at any other time. The quality
of the cows to be treated will bear dis
cussion. / have found that it will not
pay. so far as increase of milk is con-
cerned. TO feed cows that give less
than ten or twelve quarts day by the
ordinary method of feeding. Milky
cows are the ones that pay, and in
winter when it is rather hard to induce
an even flow of milk, herd of twenty
TO twenty-five fresh mixers will easily
gain Il hundred quarts of milk a day
by giving warm and sloppy feed.
Whether this extra yield will pay
tor the extra trouble must be decided
by the one engaged in the business.
Hay for mixing should be mixed in
the cutting. using as many variet ties
as possible. If you can not get scald-
ing water for mixing with the feed.
use warm. and if you can't get this
use cold water. If you use hot water.
cover when the mixing is done to pre-
serve the effects of the steam. Mix in
the m orning for afternoon, and in the
afternoon for the next morning. The
amount of grain must depend entirely
upon the cow and her condition. If
she is all right ten days after calving
I would commence by giving her one
pound of corn-meal. one pound of
corn and oats, ground together, and
two pounds of good bran to feed.
Gradually increase the feed, if age and
condition will admit.
The sloppy feed will be prepared rs
follows: 1t is simply good Cruel or
porridge fit for any one to eat, man or
beast, made up of whole oats, oats and
corn ground, bran, corn-meal, gluten
me al and the like, using material that
would indicate. good quality of milk
and disc arding any thing that would
be obje ctiona able TO the health of the
cow. The amount for twenty-five
cows for day would be a molasses
hogshead filed to within a foot of
the top. Put i'm the grain first,
then the water Nothing pays bet
ter than to have the water heated be-
forehand. 1t not only saves time. but
fuel also. This slop should be of the
consistency of good perridge, and
properly cooked will be of an even
quality throughout, the particles of
grain remaining in suspension. The
cooking commences as SOON as the re-
| CCptiC1c Is ClcaI6o VI tuo
feed, which will be by $3.50. This will
cook till about 2:30p. M, when suf-
ticient for the afternoon meal will be
taken out into the tubs to cool till
feeding time. The mixture of roots.
which should be cut in advance, are
poured into the slop and when suf-
ficiently cooled is given to the cow
This slop may be given when the
cow calves, using Judgment in the
consistency of it, diluting with warm
water to rerder it safe. 1t may be
given number of times day with
perfect safety. This slop may be CON-
posed of equal parts by weight of
the grains mentioned. It will be
noticed that the cow gets from seven
to ten different kinds of feed, all of
which it is possible and most pfofita-
BILE to have on any farm The appli-
ances for carrying out this system OF
feeding are very chea and economic
al, and on small. scale the kitchen
stove may be used with as good re-
suits as more expensive arrange
ment, although not so convenient. A
| small steamer to cost $75. will cook
the feed for so cows and 100 hogs, if
run economically. ID a. SouthsoscE,
in Farm and Home.
A BulI's-Eye Shot.