The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-10-01


it were available, skimmilk would be fed
calves until they are a full year old
No calf is ever fed more than eight
quarts in a day.
Calves are started on a concentrated
mixture of bran and middlings as early
as they will eat, at three weeks to two
months of age, and later changed to one
of bran, oil meal, corn mean, and mid
dlings mixed in equal parts. Hay is
kept before calves after they are three
to four weeks old Pastures are not
choice on the farm and calves pampered
through the winter do not Craze well.
To avoid the loss in growth rate when
they are put on pasture, an effort is
made to feed calves sparingly enough in
the winter months that they viii come
to pasture, not fat, but vigorous and
greedy of appetite.
Professor Eckles of the University of
Missouri made a valuable contribution
| to dairy science by securing data, de-
finitely establishing the fact that heif-
ers making a considerable part Of their
| growth before first calving produce more
milk in their life time and reach great
| er mature growth than individuals
freshening early. Practical experience
/ taught this truth to this Vermont farm
err. Heifers arc not bred to freshen un-
der thirty months for, according to Mr.
Barrett, Gin the long run, they pro-
duce more than those which freshen
early. There is very little difference
between the production of the first and
second lactation periods. -
Heifers are fed literally on roughago
Iprevious to freshening and if necessary
are given light feeds of bran to bring
them to calving in good condition
Heifers in good flesh are sometimes Civ
en- no grain for the first week and only
two or three quarts of bran per day
during the second. Then middings on
distillers grains are added. Each heifer
is fed as an individual. Mr.. Barrett
early discovered that even animals OF
identical breeding vary widely in THEN
feeding capacity. 1t commonly takes
him five to six weeks to get heifers or
to full feed; older cows are brought L
their full ration in two to four week.
after freshening.
The value of legumes in the ration
has been so clear that when clover ha,
is fed the protein allowance from con
centrates is reduced A few 'sfat I
cows in the herd are fed a reduced car
bohydrate ration. One pound of grain
to each three and one-half to fou
pounds of milk is fed. Some change /
made for milk Of varying tests. /. G.
a high testing COW is given extra con
centrates. 4 simple ration for a GOV
giving forty pounds of five per cen
, milk is corn silage, mixed hay, fv
pounds of corn meal, and a mixture O
equal parts of bran, distillers grains
and middlings.
At the Vermont Station. eleven wear
experimental feeding have shown tina
the dairy COW S most desirable ratio
contains less protein than is commonl
fed Again, practical experience sui
: Stimulates experimental findings. f.
!, twenty-five years have taught Mr.. BaI
\ rett the value of heavy concentrat
supply to good cows He likes cor
= meal With it he saws his cows prt
; duce after six months eighty per cent 3
1 1uch as when first fresh Corn meal.
! he says, gives COW something to fla
!. back upon. Light feeds don t stay /
: a COW in heavy production. Heavy fee,
e ing Of carbohydrates gives results wit
: good cows but not with poor COWS
:, those dual in purpose. But, then, Y
. don t want poor cows.
Sllage is grown on the farm and
!. fed about nine months in the yea
:, Soilmg crops are supplied during the T
mainder of the year. Barley and m
: let are two soiling crops used, mill
: being especially favored They a
) slowed at different times and are f
e from the early part of August until W
- along in October
= Mr. Barrett sells few bull calv
af but kills others rather than feed tn,
for veal. He SAYS, 81 can t afford
u. raise calves for veal - The cost
i feeding has been found to exceed t
~ -. selling price.
~ Milk is retaied at ten cents-t
- test average above five per cent. I
- lowest test vet made being 1872 7
- ost of retailing totals about three cen
w having a net price at the farm of sey
= cents per quart.
~. Mr.. Barrett is a skilled dairyman.
~ has a high class herd, follows careful
III the lessons taught BY TWENTY-FIVE We
.os of dairying, and keeps his accounts
i curatelv. He was asked what he has
= receive for milk to make a profit.
A.. reply was; 81 Just a little more I'll
break on seven cents at the farm. =
. There are n few dairymen in y
ND England who could not profit by stu
ing and following the dairy practi
Of this farm. They represent about
that IS practical in experience and
scientific investigation. And yet
farm only ga little more than brc;
even on seven cents There is a
lesson here for those who decry
further increases in milk prices VIII
are proposed.
NAVY YARD DAMAGED