Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-08-18

HOW TO PROFIT MORE
FROM COWS IN SUMMER
Alfalfa Can ee Grown Successfully
on Nearly Al Iowa soiI.-Es.
sentials for Success.
n. K. Bliss. Extension Department. lows
State College.
How can I make my cows give the
most milk every day during the sum-
mer at the least possible cost? This
is the question of prime Importance
to every man who milks cows.
The sensible way of doing it is to
furnish the COWS with an abundance
of succulent feed all the time and
keep them as comfortable as possible.
Cows give more milk on succulent
feed than on dry feed.
The first step in reducing the cost
of summer milk production Is to Inn
prove the pastures. The pasture is
the last place to receive attention. It
is the last place to have the weeds
cut or to get coating Of manure, al
though we have more acres of pas
ture than we have Of corn. One Of
the next big movements In Iowa
should be to improve the pastures.
BY increasing the yield Of the pasture
one-half we could double the net
profits from butterfat. For example.
the average forty acres will Keep
twenty cows. It takes the milk from
one-half of these cows to pay the rent,
which leaves the milk from ten cows
for profit. Increase the yield Of this
pasture one-half and you can keep
thirty cows on the same forty acres
and have twenty cows for profit in.
stead of ten.
A reasonable application of the fol-
lowing suggestions will increase the
yield Of the average pastures one
half. double the net profits from but.
terfat sold and add millions of dol
lars to the annual net income Of the
state:
1st.-Do not turn the cows on pas
ture too early in the spring. Tie
common practice of turning on pas
ture as soon as the COW can get few
green spears of grass is wrong. 1t
hurts the cow because the grass at
this time has little feed valae. It
hurts the pasture because the grass
is eaten off close early in the summer,
which reduces its vitality and allows
the sun free access to the roots dur
ing midsummer. But someone says,
my cows refuse to eat dry feed. This
difficulty can best be overcome with
the silo. BY feeding silage the COW
can be kept of Of the pasture until
June if necessary and suffer no de-
crease in milk flow. Bran, oilmea),
alfalfa, etc., help greatly Ia tiding
over this period.
2nd.-Do not overstock the pasture.
Great damage results from putting
too many cows on too small a pasture.
An overstocked pasture is like an
overworked man. Weedy pastures
are generally due to overstocking.
3rd.-Do not pasture too late in the
fall. A growth Of grass left on the
ground over winter catches snow, pro-
tects the roots from severe freezing,
and starts the new grass earlier in
the spring. When cows are turned
out the green and dry grass are mixed
together, which prevents securing.
Pastures handled in this way can be
grazed early in the spring.
4th.-Do not allow the pasture to
become '.hids bound" This can be
overcome by sowing red clover, alsike
clover and timothy in old pastures,
either with a disc drill, or by broad
casting, after which the ground is run
over by common disc. In either
case the tough sod is loosened and
new life and vigor is given to the
pasture. Running disc over the
pasture without seeding often does
great amount Of good. The yield Of
pastures has been practically doubled
by the above methods. Remember
that by doubling the yield of the
pasture the cost Of butterfat is cut
in two.
5th.-Do not expect the pasture al
ways to remain rich. Give it q light
coating of manure occasionally.
6th.-Cut the weeds. Weeds sap
the vitality Of pasture grass and are
as detrimental in the pasture rs in the
corn field.
7th.-You must provide additional
feed for the dry, hot period of sum-
mer. 81 am up against it this sum-
ner," said prominent dairyman re-
Gently. my silage is gone, I have no
forage crop to fall back on and this
excessively bot, dry weather is burn.
ing the life out Of the pastures. Wha'
grass there is lacks succulence and al
a result the milk flow is going down
every day."
Almost every summer has its dry
hot spell in fly time, when the milk
flow is greatly reduced. This NOV
only reduces the profits Ut the time
but also reduces the milk now during
the entire lactation period, for When
once a COW drops Of in milk It Is .