Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1912-12-31

put on an animals digestive organs
when it is changed to new and
widely different ration. For example
the difference in concentration Of
green grass and hay stands in the
ratio Of about one to four. Suppose
we suddenly change man from
four hours work to sixteen hours
work per day, and we have an exam
pie of what we are putting the ami
NAL up against when suddenly chang
ing her from one feed to another. It
is self-evident that unless some spe-
cial precaution is taken, the animals
digestive apparatus will be put out
of order and a decrease in produc-
ton will follow. If once down, it is
difficult, if not impossible, to regain
the former production.
The best breeders and feeders in
the country recognize this fart and
so are careful and gradual in chang
ing rations. Not long ago l had oc-
casion to witness the testing Of q
number of cows for advanced reg
istry. The herdsman, in his anxiety
to produce a high record, began feed
ing an extra large amount of con-
centrates to the cows a couple Of
days before the tester arrived. AS a
result the tester found the cows not
only with their digestive organs out
of order, but also a decrease in pro-
duction of about four-fifths of their
usual yield. This was certainly an
expensive change of rations.
Not long ago followed the testing
of College Belle Wayne 9S497, a large
Holstein cow at the South Dakota
Agricultural college. During the test
the clover hay gave out and green al
falfa hay was substituted. Due to a
mistake the animal got too much of
the alfalfa one day. This caused her
to bloat and in less than twenty-four
hours she dropped from 1875 pounds
Of milk day to 81 pounds, differ
ence of % pounds per day. These are
but two among many examples I
might mention. In each case the loss
could have been prevented if the cows
had been fed right Hence: Beware
of sudden changes"
insufficient feeding of proper feeds
is another factor eating large holes
in the profits from animals. Too
many people do not take pains enough
to work out ration which will most
profitably meet the needs of the ami
NAL. In other words, they feed eth
er too much or too little of suitable
feeds. Either fault is expensive, but
the latter is by far the more common.
It is mighty poor policy to fat
ten the animals up during the sum-
mer season and then starve the flesh
off them in the winter. This means
that the milk production will practi-
cally cease during the time of year
when butter fat is high in price.
The pity of this is, that it could all
be overcome if only a little good
Judgment and liberality were used in
the selection and feeding of feeds.
Silage, roots and oil meal, besides
keeping the digestive organs in good
condition, would 60 long way in CIV
ing profitable returns. A few pounds
more of comparatively cheap feeding
material would often mean a large
number Of pounds of valuable milk
and butter fat. A neighbor of mine
told me the other day that since he
had begun to feed silage and a small
of concentrates to his cows
he had increased his net returns to
one-fourth more than they were be-
fore. Besides" he said, "my AMI
mails are in much more healthy and
vigorous condition"
Care and Shelter of Animals.
The shelter and care are also i'm
portant factors in determining
mans success in handling animals.
1t was only this morning that
good dairy farmer told me that ov
account Of the cold and wet weather
of last week his fifty-fve cows had
ne down In production to the ex-
tent of thirty gallons of milk a day.
"Now if had been prepared for this
weather I might as well have saved
my cows from getting cold and my
self from losing money. But as it
was, if l had suddenly started my
COWS on different feed l would have
gotten my cows out Of condition and
The loss would have been greater
still. never make a complete change
IT feed in less than week or ten
lays time; it does not pay"
This iS n striEino ayanonIa ~ hou,