Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1917-08-30
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Growssss TurnipsslF For The Dairy
Herd.

owns his own farm and as many
as ten or more cows there is
nothing that can take the place
of silage as a supply of cheap
succulent feed. But for these
whose conditions are such that it
is impossible for them to have
Is'lage at all or in insufficient
quantities to feed the herd liber-
ally.throughout the winter, some
one or more substitutes should
be provided. This succulency
may be provided in the form of
fall sown oats, abbruzi rye,
sweet potatoes, ssand turnips. ,.::::::: ss::::
J Turnips are one Of the best
crops to plant for this purpose for
the following reasons.@ 9 They are
easy Ito growlsand keepltwell
through the1winter: They are
relished by the cows. If you
have an acre or two of good land
that is now idle you could not do
: better than to prepare it through
i ly and seed it to turnips for win
ter feed for the dairy herd.
Broad cast the manure which
has accumulated during the sum.
mer and thoroughly work it into
the surface of the soil after it
has first been we'll broken. Roll
or drag the land to firm it down
before sowing the seed. Broad
cast A to 5 pounds of seed per
acre and either roll again or run
a very light harrow to cover the
seed. Rutabaggas, globe or egg
shaped turnips will give best re-
suits is they will yield more than
the fiat varieties and will store
better. For the Northern part
Of the state they should be sown
early in the latter half of August
and the Southern part Of the
state from the 25th of August to
the 9Th Of September. The ruta-
bagga variety requires earlier
sowing than the other varieties
mentioned and some farmers
complain that as a rule the germ
mating power of the rutabaggas
lis very low. However, we have
experienced but little trouble in
| this respect. The turnips should
be gathered before the first hard
freeze in early winter, piled in
heaps near the dairy barn and
covered with straw, or other liz.
ter, and earth, or stored in son e
other convenient way.
The quantity fed each cow p r
day will depend on the available
supply and size OF the COW. An
average sized cow will readily
eat a peck or more a day. II e
turnips should be cut up before
being fed. A heavy corn knife,
a hatchet or a round hole digger
is very good for this purpose.
Some times a sharp spade s
used. In case you are producer g
whole milk for retail trade Il e
turnips should be fed after Il e
cows have been milked as this
! will prevent the milk from hav-
ling q turnip flavor which would
be noticeable if the turnips were
| fed just before or at the time the
milk was being drawn.
The COW must have some green
or succulent feed during the win
ter if you expect her to yield her
maximum flow of milk. Th s
serves two purposes, to keep Il e
system toned up and as an appe-
tizer. If you cannot have a silo
filled with silage you should not
fail to plant a good size patch Of
turnips for the COW. They will
greatly increase the milk flow
and reduce the feed bill. Don't
fail to give the COW a chance.
She will make good use of il and
butter fat win be high this win
ter. Feeds viii also be high
therefore, you should make every
effort to produce it on the farm
and to carefully store all Of it fol
the winter.
L. A. HIGcINs.