The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-10-15
MAINTAINING THE MILK FLOW.

MAINTAINING THE MILK FLOW.
Concerning this subject w. A. Poyn-
ter says in the Independent Farmer:
The excessive dry weather has cut
the pastures in many parts of the coun-
try way short. There must of neces'
sity be a large falling off in milk pro-
duction over a large area where this
dry weather prevails, for as general
rule no provision for supplementing
short pastures has been made. Hap
by is the COW owner who has looked
forward to this condition and is able
to supply his COWS with good succu-
lent feed now that the shortage has
come In many localities in Iowa and
Illinois pastures are entirely dried up
and the grass would burn. The far
mer in Nebraska who has a good field
of alfalfa can supply this short pasture
with a most excel ent substitute and
aside from a little additional work
really not miss the pasture. The far
mer who has anticipated this condition
by having planted a nice patch of
sugar corn is in luck and can tide over
short pasturage Present conditions
are liable to arise any year and it is
always a good plan to make provision
for them.
The silo provides one of the very
best and cheapest means of having
succulent feed not only in winter, but
when pastures fail in summer. In
these dry times the left over silage
comes in very handy. Silos have re-
ceived comparatively little attention in
Nebraska. Our farms are too large.
We have not reached the point as yet
when it seems necessary for us to be
O. Of If w
would be good feed if taken care of
goes to waste because we have not
reached a point where we think it
would pay to take care of it. Our
broad prairies and free open sky give
us broad ideas and SO we farm on
broad gauge way, gathering the cream
of our land in the easiest way posi-
bic. But the time will surely come
when our present methods will pass
away. Our farms wi be smaller, and
their product will be more carefully
saved Then will come in the era OF
silo and they will become as common
as the ordinary farm buildings are
now
Along the same line G. P. Goodrich,
of Wisconsin, said in a recent adj
Qf0SS. COWS SuOulu nSNCl W IOu "a
clusively on silage. They need some
dry forage to go with it; they need
variety. Besides this, corn silage is
carbonaceous food and needs some
more heterogeneous food to go with 1T to
make a balanced ration. About
thirty or at most forty pounds day
of silage is as much as should be fed
to each cow 1t should be fed from
the top of the silo, taking off about
two inches in depth from the entire
surface each day, for if it is long ex'
posed to the air it will be damaged.
If the feeding commences Immediately
after filing 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 sur
face smooth and even, and not pick
and stir it up with the fork, for that
will let in the air and cause damage.
NV 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 sllage
might affect the flavor of the milk.
Cows as we'll as other stock have
wonderful liking for silage, and be-
lieve much of the success in feedlng
it can be attributed to it's palatablllty.
They even prefer it, to certain extent
at least, to fresh cut forage or good
grass in the pasture. / have seen COWS
i'm June when on good pasture, which
had been fed silage every day, come 10
the gate at A O'Clock in the Afternoon
toIIo,, ond cl IN come To the barn