Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-09-23
COW FEED.

Other substances containing frOtelns
The man who desires to feed home
grown proteins more largely and in the
form of clover, etc., often fails in getting
full crops of it, owing to droughts,
freeze outs and other causes. Then he
perforce must buy protein in some form
to keep up the demand in the ration,
and if he will take some observations
he will see that where the manure was
spread from the stables where the pro-
tein was fed the plant growth there
was full evidence that the cost of the
bran or other. protein food was about
balanced a secoud time. Last winter,
think, the price of oilmeal was trust
ed'' at too high rate per ton. Bran at
SO. so in our local market was by far
the best and cheapest purchase the
farmer could make, and out of it more
milk and fertility for the outlay could
be made than from any other food
offered.
There is no doubt that the silo offers
a great and economical possibility in
the cheaper feeding Of the COWS and
we'll cared for and we'll seeded pastures
likewise for summer feeding, the one
for winter and the other for summer,
will never be very much cheapened SO.
far as the roughage part of the feeding
is concerned. When it comes to the pro-
teins, they are about six times "shier"
to raise than the carbos, and unless one
can engage in wheat production on
large scale, grind out the -four and
market it and save the ''ship stuff" for
whether it is not the wiser Of the two
plans to buy large part of the proteins,
always having the two ends in view.
that Of getting the two values out of it,
and it then becomes--unless all expert
ments are at fault-a most profitable
investment for the dairyman to make.
Reference has been made to summer
pasture as the most economical feed in
the summer, and, other things being in
harmony, it would be in practice, but it
is demonstrated condition that pas
lures afford this economic ration only
for brief period, and resort has to be
made to other crops to be fed in con-
junction, and here again we are met
with matters that demand studious con-
sideration. The elovers make a grand
substitute for the waning pasturage,
but their stay is brief, though clover
may have other allies in the millets,
peas, oats and the like, but after the
flush of the feed is over, though it is
supplemented with soiling crops, the
fact remains that it is an economical
plan to feed protein to the COWS, not
only to call them home and save the
"wear and tear" on the dog, but pre-
serve and maintain the milk flow, with
which no other plan or system of feed
ing will correspond.
It is being demonstrated over and
over that by the economical feeding of
COW is not attained the economical"
-withholding-process, but full feed
ing of the best to promote the largest
milk yield, the economy being found
along the line of cheaper production of
the food, and in combinations which
afford nature better source of nutri-
ents. To this end the world has been
searched to get cheap proteins and sup
ply the COW with the az pounds daily
which she must have to carry out in
full the demands made upon her system
in the time of milk giving. Do not
hesitate to purchase the proteins. The
carbohydrates, four-fifths Of the ration,
can be cheaply grown on the farm in
the form of corn and it's fodder, hay
and like crops, and the proteins can be
supplied to some extent in clover, but
SO long as so per cent-approximatel
of the protein in bran, oilmeal and
like foods is returned to the fertility
supply there is no reason why these
cannot be purchased and prove to be
one of the most economic parts of the
ration. Fine bran is the best source of
the needed protein.
Another feature of the matter is that
crops like corn, potatoes and oats-ail
starch crops-can be raised and ex-
changed often direct for proteins like
bran or oilmeal. For the past three or
four years at the writer's station ton
of oats and their grinding would pro-
cure p tons of best fine bran, which
was big boot for the farmer, being in
every way as good as or better for milk
than the oats, and made the half over
clear gain. The 200 bushels per acre
at 30 cents even would purchase over
four tons of bran, aud this would be-
come cheaper source of nitrogen, or
rather protein, than could possibly be
secured on the farm acre. Taking it all
in all, when it comes to be demonstrate
ed exactly, / hazard the opinion that if
the resulting manure is carefully han
died and applied to the land with as
little loss as may be, the proteins need
ed for the COWS can be purchased cheap
er than they can be grown in the clover.
On the other hand, clover is never to
be overlooked as one of the greatest
crops in the economics of farming. It's
weak point is its uncertainty on the
average farm. but bran and oilmeal
well fed and cared for as feed residue
will soon put the farm into condition
where the clover will grow with a
reasonable assurance of success, and fed
with the purchased proteins it will
soon solve the question Of economy in
feeding the cows. John Gould in Coun-
HnnD,S pFTrC 49, rsxo ~