Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-04-06
FEEDING SUGGESTIONS.
Supplementins Iowa Pastures During
Dry Months.

The pasture of the average Iowa
farm does not furnish sufficient feed
for the cattle during the dry summer
months. With the present value OF
land and price OF feeds it is very i'm
portant to carry the dairy COW over
this period as economically and with
as little decrease in milk flow as pos
sible To do this it has been found
to be profitable to keep more cattle
on each acre or cut down the acre
age for the cows already in the herd.
and to supplement the pasture by feed
ing some green feeds such as corn ST.
lage or soiling crops.
The question Of which is the most
economical and practical, summer ST.
lage or soiling crops. depends largely
upon individual conditions. Silage II
put up properly will keep almost in
definitely and II there is a silo of small
diameter on the farm this has It's ad-
vantage over soiing crops. The prin-
cipal advantages being that it gives
greater yield per acre and does away
with the daily labor OF cutting and
getting these crops to the cows. When
there is no silo for this purpose, how
ever, some attention should be paid
to the growing Of soiling crops es-
pecially upon high priced land
Selling crops are crops sown from
time to time to furnish food to be fed
in the green immature condition. Some
dairy men have gone so far as to keep
the COWS off the pasture entirely and
furnish all green feed in this form.
mi,
suits as where the cows were on pas
ture and supplemented by their use.
The man milking cows for the greatest
profit on high priced land should grow
some soiling crops. The farmer has
access to no feed to stimulate milk
production during the summer months
equal to some fresh, palatable, green
feed providing it is made up partly of
some leguminous plant.
The crops perhaps best adapted for
soiling purposes under Iowa condi-
tons are alfalfa. mixture of oats and
Canadian field peas. amber fodder
cane, and the different clovers.
The exact time OF sowing the diff
ferent crops will depend upon the sys-
tenn which Is being followed The
earliest available crop under Iowa con-
ditions is the first cutting Of alfalfa
This should be ready about the middle
OF June. One Of the best crops to fol-
low this is a mixture Of oats and Ca
madam field peas sowed half and half
at the rate of one and one-half bush
els OF each per acre BY making two
seedlings In April the first about the
9Th and the second during the third
week, this should furnish green feed
continually from the middle of June
until the middle Of July Red clover
shrould also be available during this
time. This can be followed by amber
fodder cane which should be sowed
during the first week or two in May
at the rate of seventy pounds per acre.
This amber cane gives a very heavy
yield ranging from twelve to twenty
tons per acre. and should be available
during the last half Of July. For Aug
ust mixture of fodder cane and COW
peas sowed about May L. at the rate
OF thirty pounds Of cane seed to one
bushel Of COW pea seed per acre viii
furnish a good yield. This can also
be supplemented with the third crop
Of alfalfa.
The above crops and dates men
toned will vary as to the locality, the
season and also upon the grass crops
already being grown. These will have
to be varied considerably, upon diff
ferent farms and each man should
adopt the different crops to ft in with
the crops already being grown on the
farm. There are other soiling crops
which have given very good satisfac-
ton and which might be better in some
localities in the state than those which
have been already mentioned, but un-
der the average conditions the above
mentioned have given the best re-
suits.