Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1913-12-18
FEEDING COWS IN WINTER
GOOD Results WITH DAIRY CAT
TIE REQUIRES CAREFUL
MANAGEMENT.
BY c. n. Eekies, Dairy Department
Of the College Of Agriculture,
University Of Missouri.

The weil.managed herd of dairy cat
tie pays profits on management-big
profits.
Reports received by the college of
agriculture of the University of Mis-
souri, from farmers of the state show
that the Dest-managed herds of cows
produce from two to three times as
much milk during the year as does
the average COW. On the wellman-
aged farm the cows produce as much
milk in winter as they do in summer
On many farms, however, the cows
almost cease to produce milk in win
ter. These large variations in results
are mostly due to the more careful
feeding which the better-managedr
herds receive. The w~ell-managed herd
not only produces more milk in the
summer, but also produces a larger
quantity in winter, when the price is
high.
The farmer who gets poor results
usually feeds timothy hay, corn fod-
der and corn, and often not ever a
sufficient amount of these. With a
ration of this kind it is impossible for
a COW to produce more than six quarts
of milk a day for any length of time.
ever if fed literally. Such a ration
does not contain the proper elements
for making more than this amount of
milk.
The man who gets good results with
cows feeds corn silage with clover, al
falfa or cowpea hay. He takes care
that the cows have plenty of this
roughage, and if he has some cor
fodder he feeds some of that also.
When hay of the kinds mentioned arc
used, a considerable part of the grain
ration can be ordinary ground corn.
For a COW producing a medium guam.
tity of milk, corr silage, alfalfa hay
and corn make a fairly good ration.
For an animal which is producing a
large quantity of milk, other grain, Ii
addition to corn, will be necessary,
At present prices, bran is too high
to feed in more than small quantities.
The cheapest feeds this year are corn
and ~cottonseed meal. When corn
silage and clover or cowpea hay are
on hand, probably the best grain mix
ture is four parts corn meal and one
part cottonseed meal. This grain
should be fed at the rate of one pound
to three pounds of milk produced.
In some parts of the state corn is
more expensive than wheat. The two
have about the same feeding value,
pound for pound, and if wheat is the
/. cheaper it can be substituted for corn.
The farmer who has no clover, alfalfa
or cowpea hay should feed some cot
tonseed meal, as this is the cheapest
way to supply the protein, With a ra-
ton of corr fodder, timothy hay, corn
and two or three pounds of ~cottonseed
meal a day, it is possible to produce
as high as from 20 to rs pounds of
milk a day when fed to a good COW.
Without the cottonseed meal the same
COW would produce only about 10 or
IL pounds.
Below is given a list Of rations
made up to meet the conditions on
the average Missouri farm. The guam,
tity given is the amount which the
animal will require each day. 1t is
not supposed that the roughage will
be weighed. 1t represents the amount
the average cow will eat up clean. It
is well to weigh the grain often
orn1rCb en- that tho fnndnr NAV knnuJ
how much is actually being given and
to feed it according to the amount OF
milk produced.