Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1903-09-17
RATiONs FOR DAIRY COWS.
Cotton Seed Meal and Cowpcas sap
My the Necessary Protein.

AOttDn S&EO NGNA ana AQWDEA& Sap
My b Necessary Protein.
Feeding the dairy cow would bc d
comparatively easy matter were 1t nor
for the difficulty experienced in sccur-
Ing a sufficient amount Of protein TO
supply the heavy demands nude on
her system In the production OF milk.
says Professor A. NJ. Soule OF the Ten
nessee experiment station. Cheap and
abundant fodder crops can be grown
with comparative ease to supply the
more bulky part of her ration. but the
protein needed is much harder to pro-
vide in a desirable form 1T a price
within the reach OF the average dairy
man.
The abundance Of cotton seed meal
In the south should offer d happy solu
ton of the difficulty, but there are
many places where freight rates make
cotton seed meal quite as expensive as
in the states Of the far northwest, and
then 1t frequently happens that the
dairyman does not see his way clear to
PdS OuA q "a ~ AAAtOhAAt Va llOltGs "
cotton seed meal; for, as the old axiom
puts 1t, "a penny saved is a penny
made" So 1t is to his interest to dis.
cover IL possible a means by which he
can produce the needed protein on his
farm and thus save the heavy drain on
his resources required by the purchase
Of cotton seed meal or some other con-
centrate rich in protein.
Cotton seed meal has now beer fed
long enough TO establish It's virtue as
a feed for dairy cows, but II has also
been shown that it is unwise to employ
it exclusively for that purpose. as it Is
so rich. not only in protein. but in fat
and other constituents as well. that it
has a tendency to produce various de-
engagements OF the cows system. entail
ing serious losses that can easily be
avoided If the meal were employed In
a rational manner.
Fortunately our soils are adapted to
the culture OF several Of the most Inn
portant legumes known to mankind.
Among these the one that stands ont
pre-cminently is the cowpea, 1t is well
adapted to an immense territory and
can be utilized to advantage in more
ways than any other legume. and be-
| sides making 0 most excellent hay, rich
In protein, il has the power of material
ny improving the mechanical condition
and the crop producing power of the
land, an item OF the most profound
concern to the farmer who has been
somewhat careless with regard to such
matters and has sold his cotton seed to
the oil mill because of its ready cash
value, though failing TO return to the
soil in some other form the equivalent
OF the plant food thus removed. AS a
result the fertility of much OF our land
has been seriously impaired. and so 1t
is q particularly happy coincidence that
the cowpea car be employed to reha
bilitate the soil, produce a hay rich in
protein which combines most happily
with cotton seed meal as a feed for
dairy cows and can even be used to
advantage as a substitute for wheat
bran or cotton seed meal under certain
conditions
According to the experiments recent
~ completed at the Tennessee station,
the dairyman can employ cotton seed
meal and cowpea hay as grain feeds
for his dairy cows and thus grow all
the concentrates needed on his farm. a
matter OF the gravest Importance
M ~