The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1910-08-05

It matters little how good the herd
or how convenient and perfect it's en-
vironment unless supplied with feeds
in proper amounts and quality. 1t is
customary on the farm in the corn
belt for the farmer to content himself
with the raising of corn largely, and
in the past it has been too often the
case that corn was used as the sole
ration for every class of farm ami
mails, and it was believed that as
good results could be obtained by the
use of corn and corn alone as though
other feeds were used in conjunction
with it. Corn in years gone by has
been cheap in price and it has been
possible for the farmer in the corn
belt to raise large yields annually
During the past few years, however,
although the crop has yielded as large
ly per acre, the price has continued
to advance until at the present. time
the farmer feels that to feed it in
such way there is waste which
brings about Improbable results.
This is true and, furthermore, it is
true that where corn is fed alone, es-
pecially to dairy cows, there is in
Cured very large waste of feeding
nutrients and profits. After any ami
NAL has consumed certain amount
Of corn 1t is impossible for him to di-
gest and assimilate the nutrients out
of any larger amount of this one ma.
terial even though he has the ca
pacity of consuming double that
which he can use proftably. After
certain amount of corn is fed to the
dairy cow, all in addition to that is
either wasted by passing on undi-
gested or is converted into fat and
laid upon the body, which Is worse
than wasted because 1t taxes the d.
gestive apparatus and goes to produce
beef which not only has no value, but
Is absolutely detriment to the best
work Of the COW.
Other Feed Than Corn Necessary.
In consequence of this the dairy
farmer has learned that it is neces-
sary for him to supply some feed
with the corn raised upon his farm
that contains those nutrients in which
corn is lacking. He knows that a
balanced ration means nothing more
nor less than the supplying of the
different feeding nutrients in proper
proportions so that the ration is the
one which will produce the greatest
amount of milk and butter fat at the
least cost. Such ration is made up
by supplying a proper proportion of
carbohydrates and fat which are
found to the greatest extent in the
corn plant in proportion to protein
which is found in oil meal gluten
feed, cottonseed meal, bran, dried dis
ti]lers' grains, clover hay, alfalfa,
COW peas, soy beans, etc. There was
time when bran could be purchased
for SO or $12 ton and oil meal for
little more. Cottonseed meal the
southern planter paid to have de-
stroyed. Gluten feed was very cheap
and, In fact, the protein feeds were
less valuable than was corn. Grad
ually as the intelligent feeder became
aware of the extreme value of these
products in balancing up the abund-
the corn belt, he began using them,
thus creating a demand which in time
reached or even exceeded the supply.
and at the present time we find these
commercial products, rich in protein,
selling for high price. The farmer
Of the corn belt has it in his power
to raise upon his farm those foods
which supply in the cheapest and best
forms all the protein that is demand
ed for balancing up the corn which he
raises. This can be done by dividing
the farm, practising rotation of crops.
which Is one Of the most efficient
methods of retaining the fertility, and
by growing less corn and more oats,
barley, clover, alfalfa, sweet clover,
! etc.
Raise Feeds to Balance the Ration.
It is perhaps a fact that there are