Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1894-04-05
FOR THE FARMERS.
INFORMATION ABOUT AGRICULTURE
Al MATTERS.
Food Experiments in n Hundred
D~airies--A Handy Dox or Trough
A Grain Chute-AbnormaI Milk
Farm Notes.

The Wisconsin Experimental Station
has issued bulletin thirty-eight, which
contains reports on dairy rations from
n hundred dairymen covering several
states. This report gives valuable in
formation relating to the value of the
various rations available for the dairy,
the economy of their use and the nutri-
tive value Of all the known food pro-
ducts. We quote from one or two as
follows: Silage from fairly matured
corn, sliced ears and ALL" about ffUy
pounds per head has been fed, and
eight TO ten pounds clover hay. l have
not fed a pound of dry feed TO my cat
tie in five years. For yer twenty years
L kept a large dairy, fed dry corn stalks
and hay with lots of grain and it cost
us fully twice as much as it does now.
Corn silage, 81 per ton; clover hay, Sc
per ton and oats $24 per ton. Corn en-
silage is the large southern white corn
which will ripen here sufficient to grow,
but it deteriorates in size, and we do
not plant home grown seed except for
NHpNAAhNhb. SlpNCl nay ID u Sobu SiOp
here, fully averaging two tons per
acre, while IL own corn silage will go
twenty tons My average for the past
five years has been more.
About twenty cows in the herd are
giving milk and from these, old and
young, u average yield of butter is
30 pounds or more, which at % cents
per pound, as l sell on contract, makes
SG2.JO per cow, and the skim milk from
deep setting, with the buttermilk,
amounts to ove $3.50 more per head
as l feed it. | adopted the silo Sc, en-
years ago, and with my ten acres Of
corn every year for grain crop and dry
Feed, twenty to twenty-five head Of cat
tie was the full capacity of my farm,
and not as good results as now, with
moist silage feed and winter butter; be-
sides my miller'S toll or cash for grind
ing and cost of carting to mill and back
made my winter keep of cattle fully
twice as much per head as it now Is.
Estimating cost Of summer pasture at
% cents per week, and then winter IA
tiOnS, as given, the farmer cannot
crowd SO feed into the average dairy
cow annually as l figure the cost. Good
liberal pasture feed, allowed to have a
good growth in spring and not turn ON
to it until late, with Silage until well to-
ward the middle Of May solves the
problem Of cheapest feed for cattle.
Another says: | find cOrn meal he
greatest milk producing food ] ever
tried; corn meal and ground oats about
One-half and one-half with bran, mid
dlings, a little oil meal, and roots the
best butter producing feed / ever tried.
My usual amount Of cut feed, for a full
| grown cow, is about fifteen pounds
daily in two feeds, morning and after
noon. l try to have it two parts clover
hay, one-half part timothy hay, and one
half part corr fodder; it is all steamed,
and my grain ration thoroughly mixed
with this cut feed at the time of feed
ing. After my cows have eaten this
feed / give them two or three pounds
Of loose dry hay and some Of them eat
q very little straw. / always turn all
my cows out in a well sheltered yard
at about S a. m, and take them in at 4
D. M, unless the weather Is very stormy
they have rough corn fodder before
them all the time in the yard, and eat
what they want Of 1t, which is not much
should say not over three or four
pounds. My cattle do much better,
keep in good health and condition,
without any signs of being forced or be-
ing fed more than they should be to do
well; if they are kept in stable n or
two days. owing to bad weather, no
matter how much hay or fodder they
get, they fall off considerably in milk
flow and butter fat. | have expert
mented considerably Of late, and find
my best results come from n grain ra-
ton of mostly corn meal and ground
oats. / believe before long / will make
my entire grain ration of corn, oats
and oil meal; this, with good clover hay
a little timothy and corn fodder, and
some good roots, carrots or beets, l be-
lieve will give the best all around re-
suits, health, milk and butter, as well
as %cheapness of feed being considered.
l would prefer corn silage, but have it
not, so steam my cut hay, which / con-
slider next best. / turn out to grass
about May 1 and keep out until Octo-
Der Is. l am after large mixers; when
| have the milk, l am pretty sure Of the
butter.