Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1908-06-23
Feeding the Dairy Herd.

Success in dairying depends largely
upon the proper feeding OF the dairy
herd. There are two questions that the
dairy farmer should ask himself. First,
am | feeding as cheaply as l can; and
second, am feeding the best rations for
milk and butter production? OF course,
the cows can be kept alive and in fairly
good milk flow upon many different
kinds of rations, but in feeding, as well
as in everything else, there is an ideal to
be sought. What, then, is an ideal ra-
ton for a dairy COW? 1t is ration that,
without waste, gives both in weight and
bulk of dry matter sufficient amount
of digestible and nutritious food. 1t is
ration that is comparatively cheap.
1t is a ration in which the milk-forming
element, protein, is rightly proportioned
to the heat and energy and fat-making
carbohydrates and fat elements. A
balanced ration does harm in two ways:
First, by lessening the milk flow, and
secondly, by giving the cow a ration
which she cannot protitably use.
Good pasture grass is perfect food.
Next to grass stands silage. BY means
of the silo, in the winter, we are able to
preserve in nutritious form large guam
titles of food at a small cost. This gives
us summer condition in winter, and as
the profits of the dairy depend on the
difference between the cost of produc.
tion and the price obtained, the cost OF
the food is an important item. In feed
ing the folders will furnish the rough
age, and the grain the protein. The
| food should be made as tempting as can
be and should be fed in nice clean man
gers. As a rule, it will pay to cut the
| fodder and sprinkle meal over it, as the
COW will then eat large quantities OF it
with less waste. Then, too, it will pay
| to keep the COW warm and to give her
| exercise in the air regularly every day.
Cows should never be fed exclusively
on silage. They need some dry forage
to go with it, to make well balanced
ration. About 80, or at most, 40 pounds
a day of silage is as much as should be
fed to each COW. 1t should be fed from
the top of the silo, taking of about two
inches in depth from the entire surface
each day, for if it is long exposed to the
air it will be damaged. If the feeding
commences Immediately after filling the
silo, and this is good way to do, there
will be no damaged silage at all.
Care should be taken at each time OF
feeding to leave the surface smooth and
even, and not pick and stir it up with
the fork, for that will let in the air and
cause damage. My way is to feed the
silage ration in two feeds, both night
and morning, and it is better to feed
after milking, because the peculiar odor
of the silage might affect the flavor OF
the milk. Cows, as we'll as other stock,
have wonderful liking for silage, and l
believe much of the success in feeding it
can be attributed to its palatability.
They even prefer it, to certain extent
at least, to fresh-cut forage, or good
grass in the pastures. have seen cows
in June, when on good pasture come to
the barn and eat fifteen to twenty
pounds of silage every day, eat greedily
and with apparently great relish.
Th6re rs no better and cheaper feed to
supplement short pastures, which we
are almost sure to have every summer,
on account of drouth or other causes,
than good silage. l know some OF the
most successful dairymen in the country
who feed silage every day in the year,
winter as we'll as SUMNER. P. Fletch'
or, iu Rural World.