The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1899-12-15

How Much Land Is Needed to Keep a
Milk Gown


MILK Gown
With good, rich land kept always in
grass, two, three and even four acres
will be needed to winter and summer
a COW, says The American Cultivator
Where the land is rocky or poor it may
require five acres to a COW, besides
| buying some grain or meal as extra
feed in winter. 1t is always true econ
omy to purchase bran, wheat mid
dlings or grain meal to feed to COWS
that have a hay diet in winter. 1t
makes the hay go further, and when
ever farmer makes close calculations
he finds that for milk production at
least hay is the most expensive feed
he can purchase. Among the cheapest
of all COW feeds are linseed and cotton
seed meal, though neither can be fed
in large amounts nor without being
mixed with chopped hay or straw, to
give more bulk with the same nutri-
ton. Even corn and oats should be
ground and mixed with cut hay or
straw to get the best results from feed
ing them. If the whole mess is well
steamed and a little salt added, it
makes the cow eat it with avidity, and
the moisture from Steaming the food
greatly stimulates the secretion of
milk.
With the Introduction Of the silo to
keep green cornstalks in succulent con-
dition for winter feed there came a
revolution in the feeding of COWS. 1t
enormously increased the amount of
fodder that could be produced on an
acre. Instead Of taking two, three or
four acres or more to keep a cow
through the year, as with grass, cow
might be kept on an acre or perhaps
three COWS on two acres if some win
ter crop can be grown, like rye, to be
cut and fed in the spring just before
the grain begins to head out. Fifteen,
20 or more tons of corn fodder can be
grown per acre if the corn is fed green.
Twenty and even % tons Of large
southern corn can be grown per acre,
which, made into ensilage, would make
a daily ration Of 100 pounds or more of
ensilage per day for 365 days in the
year. This is more than any cow
should or could eat.
Fifty pounds Of ensilage per day is,
except for short periods, all that can
be proftably fed to COWS giving milk.
The remainder of the food required
should be dry hay, clover, if possible,
and some bought grains. Though
these require the expenditure of mon
ey from the farm, they pay better
than trying to grow on the farm every
thing that has to be fed, as used to be
the motto with old fashioned farmers.
It is only since eastern farmers learn
rations with cheap western grain that
they have been able to produce milk
and butter as cheaply as the west
Feeding succulent food instead of
dry hay and dried corn fodder in win
ter has greatly helped to develop the
milking capacities of our leading dairy
breeds. All Of these originated in mild
and moist climates, where succulent
and nutritious food is plentiful at all
seasons. The Channel island COWS. the
FrieSian-HolStein and also the Ayr
shire cattle originated not far from
salt water, which Is deep enough to
keep open In winter. In an arid ccun-
try the best milk producing breeds rap
idly deteriorate in dairy qualities.
Where there are plenty Of springs of
water, SO as to keep the air moist, the
milk producing breeds can be most
proftably produced, because, other
things being equal, they can be bred
to produce more milk and butter in
each succeeding generation than in
the one which preceded it.