St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1892-07-21
for tf1e Farm.
OATS, PEA AND SWEET CORN FOR
COWS.

OATS, PEA - AND SWEEI COn4N L Oxf
COWS.
THERE'S, perhaps, yet time for plant
ing some of the forage crops for the
dairy cows for late summer feed and
the silo if winter should close IN
early after our late spring. By
promptness and good judgment the
damage of the wet weather may be
in a measure overcome. A writer IN
the Rural New Yorker says that here
is the way care for the cattle at the
Baker homestead When the COWS
are first turned out to pasture, 1t is
only for short time during the first
few days and their hay is slightly
wet with brine to induce them to
eat as much as possible; the grain
ration is decreased from day to day
as the grass improves, and when
the cows are safely on pasture they
no longer get any grain, because at
that season grass is at its best and
wish to clean the grain from their
systems, is constant grain ratlons
soon tell on them and they be-
come old before their time. | sow as
early as the ground will work nicely,
on we'll prepared soil, peas and oats.
When using the drill 1 SOW OF each
one and one-half bushels per acre,
drilling the oats first one way and
then crossing with the peas. l
weight the drill teeth slightly when
drilling the latter to get them deeper
in the ground.
l commence to cut the crop for the
cows as soon as the oats have head
ed and feed in the lot when the
ground is dry. l would prefer to
feed in the stable, but mine is not
convenient for getting In the feed
from the outside. When this crop is
too hard to be fed, I turn to the
early-cut meadow, as l practice the
four-years' course. I do not hesitate
to pasture the meadow if fodder is
short, supplementing the feed with
bran and little corn meal; but
usually my early sweet corn is ready
and | feed ears and all. This year,
however, l shall pluck the ears and
sell them to newly established can
ming factory, and if the COWS do not
keep up the usual supply of butter,
shall continue the grain ration.
About the time when the frost comes
cut some sweet corn and tie up in
large shocks to be fed with the field
pumpkins grown with the corn.
l keep the COWS in as soon as the
nights turn chilly and do not let them
out IN cold rains. About this time
l measure the silo to see how many
tons 1t contains and determine how
many cattle to feed from it for $50 |
days. 1t is easy to tell how much
can be fed per day with a grain
ration, to each COW to keep her up
to profitable butter production.
This year my ensilage will be made
from the stalks of sweet corn from
which the ears have been picked for
the canning factory, and have SOW
ed larger acreage of oats and peas
to make out a grain ration. 1t is
butter that l am after and l cannot |
afford to neglect the cows. The
past year my herd often produced
276 lbs. of butter per COW. Three of
them were heifers with their first
calves and there was one farrow
COW. have lost my best thorough
bred Jersey and one grade by milk
fever, but shall continue to use the
test and this year | shall
find out the best ones; for it does
not take any more time to milk and
care for a COW that will make 800
lbs. of butter in year than for one
that will yield only 1875 lbs, and the
difference of IT'S lbs. of butter at IS
cents per pound is what l am look
ing after.