Morris tribune., 1910-10-14
Feeding Dairy Cows
on Scientific Basis.
c. r. Barns, Extension Division,
Minnesota University Farm.
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Dairying is a business enterprise
wherein the quantity and quality o.
the milk secured from each COW, anC
. the cost Of it's production, are the
factors which determine success Oh
failure. The standard by which the
value of the milk is gagged, and there
fore the value of the cow which pro
duces it, is the total amount of butter
obtained from the milk This, in turn
depends mainly on the quantity anC
quality of the feed given the cow. Coco
feeding is the keynote of successful
management on the dairy farm.
The study of the art of feeding
then, may we'll command the closest
attention by the farmer On it de
pends the answer to the question
Shall my COWS continue to yield only
the present Minnesota average of 16(
pounds of butter each year, or shall
that average be raised to 260 pounds
per year?' Professor Hacker de
clares that the possibilities of the aV
erage COW, under proper feeding anC
management, are about 100 pounds ot
butter per year more than our farm
ers are now receiving. Mind! this is
said, not of high bred, fancy COWS, but
of the average COW in Minnesota.
The addition of 100 pounds of butter
per year to the product of each ami
NAL, in herd of say ten cows, would
mean an increase of at least 5000 a
year in the farmers gross income. The
outlay necessary to secure 260 pounds
of butter per head it but little more
than is necessary to secure the average
of only 100 pounds. The expense of
labor, shelter, ETC., is practically the
same. The gain comes from the pro
vision of an abundant supply of sue
culent forage during the summer
when there is often, for want of it, an
abnormal shrinkage in milk-and of
feed, all seasons of the year, contain
ing the right proportion of roughage
and concentrates. "Roughage" in
cludes all the coarse portions of ra-
ton, such as hay, stover fodder corn,
silage, roots, etc., while the term
concentrates" embraces all grains
and mill products. "Roughage" ordi-
narily contains but small proportion
of protein or nitrogenous substances;
concentrates" a larger proportion.
The latter being expensive, farmers
naturally try to avoid their use so far
as possible But, while only one pound
OF protein is necessary to seven or
eight pounds of digestible carbohy-
drates and fat (supplied by roughage)
that one pound is indispensable:
AS Professor Hacker says: Cali
the feed stuffs ordinarily grown on
the farm have an ample supply of
carbohydrates, while nearly all are
short of protein. When clover or al
faIfa hay is available for roughage,
rations may be adjusted to the needs
of COWS with farm grains; but with
other roughage, such as marsh or
prairie hay, timothy, millet, sorghum,
fodder corn, stover and straw, some
concentrate with high percentage of
protein must be added to the ration.
Economical, or what may be called sci
entific feeding, is providing in the ra'
tion the constituents needed for daily
and for milk production"
Professor Hacker has prepared a
series of tables by which it is easy to
calculate the ration required for a cow
Of any given weight, according to the
amount of milk given and the per
centage of butter-fat in it. It would
be we'll if every farmer could be in
duced to use these tables. A few sam
pie rations are here given. 1t is to be
promised, however, that cows differ
in regard to the amount desirable of
roughage to grain; and again, cows
vary from year to year in the amount
of nutriment they will utilize For the
production of ordinary milk, grain
may be fed approximately at the rate
Of one pound of grain to three pounds
of milk yielded daily. Ordinarily
cow of medium feeding capacity will
also consume two pounds of hay daily.
per hundred weight of COW, if receiv.
ng no other roughage.
Ration for 9O0-pound COW, yielding
1aily twenty-three pounds of milk con-
aiming 38 per cent of butter-fat:
Glover hay .............. 18 fbs.
Corn meal .. fbS