Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-06-18
MAKING GOOD DAIRY COWS

An important thing for the farmer tC
know is-what class of foods and what
system of feeding and care will give the
best results with the different kinds oi
cows. 1t is settled thing that the two
great classes of cattle, the beef producer
and the dairy or milk producer, have re-
suited from the different systems OF
feeding. The saying, "As the twig is
bent, the tree is Inclined" is as true OF
animals as plants; so what the dairyman
wishes to know is how to "bend the
twig" 1.-THE calf so as to develop it into
a better cow than its mother. Of course
it is not to be expected that every cali
from our best cows, or in fact, that every
calf of any good COW, should be better
than its mother, but some of them ought
to be.
The cow that gets fat just as soon as
it's food is increased is not the kind that
the dairyman wants. The kind suited to
his purpose is one that is capable OF
eating a large quantity of food and put
ting the energy derived therefrom in the
milk pail. The best cow is not the one
that gives the most milk from the best
food but the one capable of eating the
most and of making milk in proportion
TO the food eaten. In other words, a
COW that will eat 10 cents worth OF feed
and only give fifteen cents worth of milk
is not as valuable as the one that will
consume 90 cents worth of feed and
produce 30 cents worth of milk. The
light eater will take up just as much of
the owners valuable time as the other,
and require just the same room. And
while the per cent of profit is the same
the aggregate will be only one-half as
much. Therefore, it is plain to be seen
that what is wanted is large eater, re-
membering always that it is not fat that
is wanted, but an immense storage with
the ability to digest and assimmilate
what is eaten.
If you have a COW that is agreat eater,
wi h good digestive power, and one that
you can feed to the extent of her diges-
ton without putting any extra flesh on
her, YOU have desirable COW; but it
should be kept in mind that great care
must be exercised in feeding her. The
man who has this kind of dairy, and
knows just the amount of feed to give,
has great advantage over the ordinary
dairy farmer.
The next thing to know is, how shall
we set about to get this kind of herd.
We should, of course, begin as far back
as with the calf at it's birth. Yes, we
should commence with the handling OF
dam before the calf is born. The dam
during this period should have plenty of
coarse food which contains an abundance
of bone material. BY being fed high
during this time with all the fattening
foods she will eat, thus causing her to
become fat, the calf will be dwarfed in
frame and will be likely to be small and
fat when born, and no system of feed
ing afterward can wholly undo the in
jury. The COW should be kept strong
and healthy, and if giving milk, even
almost up to the time of calving, so
much the better, if properly fed. After
birth, if the calf is allowed to suck at
great length of time, this will have a
to fatten it, which will result
in its injury to certain extent.
There has been many calf spoiled by
giving it too much rich food and encour-
aging it to put on fat. Whenever find
a calf that is getting very fat l feel
doubtful about its making good dairy
COW. The whole system of feeding from
the beginning, should be with view of
growing up an animal that will consume
a large amount of such foods as will
tend to make a strong capacity to eat
and digest still more food of the milk
producing kinds. For this reason the
mother should never be kept on fatten-
ing food, but rather that which is coarse
and bulky, with just enough nutriment
to keep the calf making strong growth.
We have had excellent results, here,
feeding as follows: For the first week
or so, whole milk warm from cow, four
or five quarts to a feed. At the end of
this time start gradually to change to
skim milk, and after week have the
ration half skim and half whole milk.
During the next week continue the
change, and at the end of that time the
calf receives three-quarters skim to one
quarter whole milk, and at the end of
the third week, after beginning the
change from whole to skim milk, or
when the calf is month old, it is given
all skim milk, unless it is not doing well,
when a little whole milk may be added.
The milk should always be fed fresh at
a body heat. Some use little bran in
the milk as soon as old enough to eat it.
Turnips and mangels are also fed as sue
culent food from the start.-Corresp pond
snt New York Farmer.