Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-04-02
AMONG THE FARMERS.
"sPEED THE PLcw.'

Correspondence on practical Agricultural topics
Ia solicited. Address all communications II
landed for this department to HENRY d.
HAMMOND, Agricultural Editor Oxford Dem
ocrat. Paris. Ne.
| Feeding the Dairy Cow.
professor P. A. Campbell, in Farmers Week q,
Orono.)
The dairy COW has been much abused
animal in the past and still is to a con-
siderable degree. The boarder COW is
lspoken of almost as frequently as the
satisfactory producer. The average pro-
duction is low and the cause is attributed
to her breeding almost wholly; yet the
best bred cow improperly fed and hand
led drops into the low producers class.
1t is a safe assertion that the inherited
qualities of the average dairy COW per-
NIT a production larger than she fire.
quently has an opportunity of bringing
out due to improper and too slight feed
ling. The aim of the dairymsn should
be to get the greatest net profit from
his animal not for a week, month, or q
single season but during the animals
natural life. The requirements are then
that the animal production shall be good,
that she shall be a regular breeder, and
that she shall be so fed that the digestive
system shall be kept in good condition.
The statement is often made by dairy
men that they do not believe in high
feeding, because il burns out the animals
too quickly, when in reality the ration
that they are actually feeding while pro-
ducing satisfactory results from the pro-
duction standpoint is actually using up
the COW much faster than the dairyman
can afford. The protein of the ration
has been discussed by the agricultural
press and public speakers until one fol-
that merely suficie0t supply Of protein
| alone is required for 80 called balanced
ration. The result has been that it has
been overdone in many cases. Protein
is necessary but only one part of digesti-
BILE protein to At to 6 parts of digestible
carbohydrates and fat. The general
tendency now is 10 feed wider ration
than formerly. A ration containing too
much PROTEIN is expensive, as there is
too much waste OF nitrogen and the ami
NAL over exerts itself and wears out the
body in an endeavor to become free from
this excess nitrogen, on the other hand
too little nitrogen reduces the animals
vitality. In this argument would not
discourage the use of the rich protein
feeds because they all have their use in
the economics of animal feeding.
The heifer or dry COW should first re-
ceive consideration. During the latter
part of pregnancy the growing f0tus is
developing in size at the rate of about
one half pound per day, in order to keep
It,n tbia Aaualnnpnanf nf fha flafna gQtia-
factorily without drawing upon the re-
serve of the COW it is necessary that she
be well fed. II it is a heifsr she has her
own growth to make; il it is a COW that
has MIXED previously she has her own
body 10 put in condition. Directly after
calving before the cow is in condition to
receive = full ration she works on her
body reserve TO a considerable degree,
| and continues to do 80 for consider
| able length of time, hence while she is
| in the last stages of lactatiOn and dry
the body must be put in condition for
another calving out. Ii she calves with
out putting herself in condition it means
lessened flow and decrease In profit
| after calving. The same condition will
usually occur with COW that is MIXED
continuously and is given no chance to
90 dry. II will invariably mean lessened
production during the next lactatiOn pc
riod. With the heifer or dry COW the
udder is in a dormant condition, the re-
suits Of maternity excite il into an active
| form. 1t increases in size and activity
according 10 the way the COW is handled
and fed. One thing the dairyman must
RENE N Der and that is that before the
COW calves is the time to bag her up, 1t
cannot be done satisfactorily afterwards.
Fever producing foods should be left out
of the ration and it should be composed
as far as possible of cooling and laxative
feeds. Sliced beets or turnips, bran
mashes, and such feeds are especially de-
sirable for the COW at this time. They
keep the fever down, tend to prevent in
fiammation, to encourage the expelling Of
the placsnta, and keep the COW in the
best Of condition.
The same treatment may be accorded
the cow directly after calving as before
COW must be studied. Some cows re-
quire TO be brought to full feed quickly,
while others may take some time. 1t
should be the feeders plan to get the
most out of his cow. His aim should be
to bring her to that point in the feeding
where she is producing profitably.
There are two mistakes likely to occur
although usually not with the same feed
er. One is of under feeding the COW
thus not getting her to work to her full
est advantage and il is probably safe to
say that this is more often the case.
The other mistake is of not watching to
determine the relation between the feed
and production with the result that when
the point of economic production has
been reached the feeder in an endeavor
to get little extra goes on increasing
the feed, thereby lessening his profit.
The point to which the feeding can be
carried profitably will depend upon the
preparation which the COW has had pre-
vious to parturition and upon her in
herited characters. However not many
cows when properly fed will be increas-
ed TO a point in the grain feeding that is
likely to be injurious. 10 the actual feed
ing work too few realize that the actual
maintenance of the COW must be taken
care of first, and that il she is fed bare
maintenance ration and still continues
to produce milk it must be done at the
or pense of the body tissue; this will
make an expensive method Of feeding.
Iu working the COW up to full feed
the milk and feed record sheets should
be carefully watched and compared. The
milk records tell the careful feeder
many things which he will not otherwise
learn, and no dairyman who is milking
and feeding cows for business can
afford to do without them. In making
| up the ration for the milking COW, Ii
must have certain characteristics. In
the first place il should be fed regularly.
1t should contain roughage of sOme form
in order to insure sufficient dry matter,
il should contain some succulent feed to
add palatability, to insure more thor
ough digestion Of the rest Of the ration,
and to keep the animals in q laxative
condition. The grain part of the ration
should be bulky, to prevent Its becoming
too compact in the cows stomach, there
by increasing the possibility of indiges-
tion, and loss of the food nutrients BY
an incomplete digestion.
The grain part Of the ration should be
80 made up a. to balance with the rough
ages to meet the animals requirements.
IL is quite possible to grow feeds that
meet those requirements in all parts OF
Maine with the possible exception of
having TO buy a limited amount OF