The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1902-04-05
y study 4. skln a1Ilk.

Now and then one hears Of some
man who IL feeding his lows with
their own refuse skim milk, and re-
porting great SUCCESS and saving Of
grain. Several 'dairymen in this coun-
try are practicing this plan, the most
noted Of whom IL Memo Wilcox, Of
Milford. N. Y, who has fed skim milk
to his dairy for years. and with herd
Of common bred, but we'll selected,
cows has raised the butter yield to
over four hundred and twenty-five
pounds each yearly, writes Mrs. John
Gould to the New York Tribune. It is
not so much in feeding the milk to the
cows, but in finding what cows best
assimilate It and how much can be
fed to advantage. The great value Of
skim milk consists In it's casein (pro-
tein) and milk sugar, and it may be
said to bear some relation to bran, in
its proportions. In 100 pounds of
skim milk there are about 3h pounds
protein, Y pound albumen. AZ pounds
sugar and the ash and some butter
fat, In all about 9 pounds Of solid
matter; SO a COW fed so pounds OF
milk per day would get a food value
somewhere near the value Of 5Spounds
of gluten meal. AS dry matter the
nutritive ratio would be very narrow,
1:2, when a balancing ration would be
about 1854; SO it will be seen that it
q COW will consume so pounds OF milk
q day she has been fed 1h pounds OF
the ~ pounds of protein that h re-
CURES daily. II the roughage was
clover hay the protein in the hay
would be pretty nearly enough more
to make up the total amount required.
The best feeders of milk have found
that not all Of the cows like or IAN
be induced to drink the milk. and OF
those that do many of them, do FAR
better and seemingly digest 1t better
If it is fed slightly our Where b
milk is creamed and butter made it is
found better to put the buttermilk into
the skim milk. and thus add q starter"
that creates in the fresh milk q pleas
ant acid taste, which makes it seem
ingly better relished by the COWS. 1t
is the best plan where the cows are
fed the milk to let them drink it from
pals, and wash these pals very fire.
Quently with boiling water and keep
them fresh, otherwise the drinking
trough O pail gets thick with foment-
ed germs. and q bad taste is promoted,
the COW refuses to drink the mess, and
It will be q matter Of muck labor to
induce her to again drink skim milk.
It is thought best that some grain be
mixed with the milk when fed. AS to
this thetarmer can best Judge for him
self when the feeding problem is be-
fore him. The value Of the milk for
food varies according to the price OF
butter and ability of the cows to give
milk. Cheap butter and small messes
of milk make butter cost far more
than its market price; but with butter
selling at about "a cents. and with
a four hundred pound butter cow.
skim milk is estimated by Mr. Wilcox
to be worth in the saving of grain food
fully worth IS cents q hundred pounds
"a sum far in excess Of that received
by most farmers for skim milk. es-
pecially where they will not draw it
away from the creameries at five cents
q can, and that when they know that
practically all Of the food elements re-
main in the milk, for the abstracted
fats contain little supporting sub
stance, but briefly q substance to help
digest and emulsify food and impart
energy.