Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-12-24
Feed for The Dairy Herd.
NO RATION CAN BE RECOMMENDED AS
SUPERIOR TO ALL OTHERS.

NJ hATlOH CAN DE 66SOAA0NOHO ..
SUPERIOR TO ALL OTHERS.
E.B. c., Wakefield, r. I: What kin
Of grain shall feed my COWS to give th
best results all aroundP My roughag
fodder 10 oats, cut green and cured
hay, and corn fodder, giving. half
each. The grains on the market her
are cornmeal, wheat-bran, linseed mea
cottouseed meal and oats. I have q
feed beets. Would you advise me I
buy beet pulpp Would you feed th
Same grain with mixed hay 40 20
would With oats and corn fodderP
have some yearlings. Whatgrain woul,
be best for them with my roughage fod
derP
Rather unfortunately, perhaps,
would seem that the science of feedinl
animals Is not susceptible OF being re
duced to exact mathematics. n,
amount Of study or experimenting ha
enabled men to pick out the one best "a
tion and to say positively that this is tn
ideal and that all others are mistakes
We believe that there are certain funda
mental facts regarding feeding standard
that are perfectly we'll established, ye
rations must always be matters OF prin
ciples rather than exact hard and fas
recipes. For example, there is no doub
that II we are feeding the dairy Gov
roughage, such as mixed hay, timoth!
hay. corn silage, corn stover or oat hay
all of which contain relatively abondan
supplies of carbohydrates, with compar
atively little protein, then the purchased
grains should be of the class containing
high percentages OF protein, such n
cottonseed meal, liuseed meal, dried dis
tillers' grains, lgluten, buckwheat mid
dl;nps or similar heterogeneous feeding
stuffs, We feel quite sure of the funda
mental correctness OF this statement
which is suggested by theory and Is am
ply borne out in practice, but 1t would bt
4 bold man who would venture to name
any partic cular combination OF these
feeds and insist that It was markedly
and certainly superior to any one OF hall
a dozen other mixtures that might be sug
pested. For example, mixture OF whea,
bran. cottouseed meal and buckwheat
middlipgs is doubtless an efficient and
economical ration, yet 1t might be re-
placed by q mixture made up OF dried
distillers' grains, gluten meal and ground
oats, and the choice would depend large
" upon the cost Of the various ingre.
dients, and, of course, the personal no
tions of the feeder.
In tho case of the inquirer, the follow
inc facts NAV be accepted with conf
dance: Both oat hay and corn fodder be-
long to class OF roughage that is rela.
tive Door In protein; hence, to balance
properly the ration it will be necessary
to use grain mixture that Is relatively
high in the percentage OF protein com
pounds. 1t goes without saying that,
under the conditions, cornmeal has very
little place in the ration Of the milk.giv.
ing animal, be It COW or brood SOW or
nursipp eve. To buy corn to fatten the
hog or to mix with wheat bran for horse
feed NAV be the wisest thing to do, but
the feeding of the COW Is fundament.
ally different matter. Cottonseed meal
IA one of the highest priced feeds on the
market, as measured by cost ton, and
yet 1t is nearly always the very cheapest
source of protein, because q ton OF 1t, II
high grade, has as much protein as four
tons of corn. Almost always 1t can be
used to advantage as part Of the grain ra.
tiop. Linseed meal is an ideal animal
food, being palatable, nutritious and lax
alive; yet so many people know 1t and
believe strongly in 1t that 1t usually sells
for more than It 10 worth as compared
with other sources of protein. Still. its
generally beneficial physiological effects
may make 1t wise to use small amount
(say one tenth) In the ration.
Wheat feed, 80 far ss its effect upon
the animal is concerned, Is beyond criti.
oism, but 1t is generally like lipseed, in
that it sells above its true value. This
year it Is relatively cheap, however, and
we have put In q full car and shall de.
pend upon it for the bulky part OF our
ration.
Every feeder would like to use oats,
but ordinarily they are simply out OF
question. Even this year, with our
enormous ost crop and relatively low
price, oats at interior points, after pay.
Ing for grinding, will cost pretty we'll
toward $40 ton; and In passing 1t must
not be forgotten that they contain more
undigestible crude fibre than any other
grain. Oats can hardly compete with
distillers' grains or gluten meal.
A much better planned ration might
be made up II the local prices of the va
rious feeds had been given. However,
If the inquirer will make up a mixture
of one hundred pounds OF wheat bran,
one hundred pounds of cottonseed meal
al Der cent protein, and nothing less),
one hundred pounds of gluten meal and
one hundred pounds Of dried brewers
grains, and will feed one pound of this
mixture for each three pounds OF milk
Weld, together with all the r0ughage the
COW will eat, he will not 60 far wrong.
Let 1t be said again that there are doubt
less other ombinations just as good.
II confined to the feeds named and un-
able to get a wider variety, try three
hundred pounds Of wheat bran, ono hun
dred pounds of cottOnseed and fifty
pounds oil meal. A fair sized COW, II
she has the milking tendency and 10 not
too far along in lactation, ought to pay
for from seven to ten pounds day OF
this grain mixture. 1t will be hard to
drop out the cottonseed without increas.
ing the cost of the protein supply.
Dried beet pulp 10 to be reckOned az
carbonaceous food, resembling cornmeal
in general composition; yet 1t Is bulky
and palatable, and is said to have laxa.
tive effect which makes 1t replace silage
in the ration. If time 10 not too valu'
able Il may be advisable to soak 1t 10
water before feeding. In general mixed
hay will not call for grain ration dif'
ferent from the oat hay and corn fodder
roughage. As illustrating the general
principles of o0mpOunding rations II
NAV be said that II the questioner were
fortunate enough to have his roughage
made up of clover and alfalfa bay II
would be much less necessary to lay &c
much stress on the protein feeds, and u
might be wise to purchase cornmeal
which always has the great advantage o
digestibility. :.
For young stock there Is one foor
suitable above all others, and that Il
wheat bran. 1t is bulky, thus developing
capacious digestive apparatus; 1t II
markedly laxative, which is always al
advantage when the other food is dry
and then 1t carries more bone building
elements than any other food on tn
market, thus being suited to build up
strong skeleton, not only for the calf
but for tho young mother and the On
born calf as we'll. Bran and oats are th
ideal for feeding the immature ANIMAL
Il u.- Wonanan L. In Trihnn