Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-02-02

calf from in November. She was very
sick for a week; then became hearty,
but did not give but a pint of milk
day. have been feeding her very heavy
on peavines and cane as roughness, and
cotton seed meal and hulls and few
seed, but she does not give but three
quarts of milk a day She has given as
much as four and a half gallons of milk
per day on the same feed she is now re-
ceiving. VIII she ever come back to her
usual amount Of milk?
The cause of your COW losing her calf
can not be determined A variety of in
fiuences might have produced this result.
1t is not a common trouble but happens
occasionally with individuals 1t may be
the result of an injury or something the
animal has eaten. Occasionally, when
it happens, cows do not regain their
former condition for some months;
sometimes they never seem to fully re-
cover. often they will go through lac
tation period giving but a small yield.
but with the next calf will regain prac-
tically normal conditions. We have had
some animals where /, seemed best to
fatten and dispose of them, and some
others which have been successful dairy
producers for several years after abort
ing. The peavines furnish a desirable
form of roughness, but the cane is not so
satisfactory for cows, being more fatten-
ing in it's tendency and better adapted
on that account for beef animals. Cot
ton seed meal and hulls in proper proper
ton may be fed with advantage to all
dairy animals. 1t is best to feed the meal
and hulls in the proportion of one to
fourg~aVVe wojiid ADVISE you not to feed
this COW over to pounds FER day, and
probably If you will cut out the meal
and bulls altogether for a few days and
give bran mashes you will secure better
results. Then, as you restore the COW
to the original ration feed part bran
and part meal until you mnally get back
to the ration you are now using. You
will find it very helpful If you can pos
sibly supply this COW with any form of
green feed.
UTILIZING LEAVES AS COMPOST.
A. r. S., Chickasaw, Ga, writes: i
am hauling pine straw and leaves and
putting them in big pile in my field.
The land is too wet to broadcast and l
want them pulverized to put in the row.
What shall 1 use to pulverize the r?
Should they be put under shelter? How
would 1t do to bed the land and put in
water furrow just as it is and cover?
How long should this be done before
planting? My land is flat gray with
yellow subsoil.
In making a compost of pine straw
and leaves it would be best to pile the
material as compactly as possible and
keep it wet. You might use lime to
break down the mass, but where you do
this a part Of the nitrogen will be trans
formed and lost, and probably the injury
on this account will be as great as the
benefit derived from making the mate
rial finer and, therefore, more easily
handled. The amount you are likely TO
secure for use in a field will not be
sufficient to necessitate your pulverig-
ing 1T. OF course, where you can let
a compost heap stand long enough and
keep it moist and mix little yard ma
nure with it, it will break down until
it becomes quite fine. While a COM
post heap should not be so placed as
there will be washing and teaching from
it, it is not necessary to put it under n
shed, though this can be done to good
advantage. If you, have a lot Of shed
where cattle and hogs or other live
stock may be kept use the straw ana
leaves as bedding and let them tramp
and pack the mass down. This will
hasten the decay and the Incorporation
of the liquid and solid excrements with
1t will improve its fertilizing value. You
may haul the mass directly to the field
after it has been composted for while,
opening wide deep burrows and placing