The Glenwood post., 1919-05-03

FROM time to time we nave referred
to the dairy cow as delicate piece of
machinery. In other words, she is
manufacturing plant which takes in
raw materials and turns out finished
product. If she is to deliver her max
imum output there must be no stinting
of raw materials.
Whenever prices advance there is
tendency to underfeed. No dairy
farmer can make money by such a
practice, because while the dairy COW
will for a time produce milk at the ex-
pense of her own body, eventually her
milk producing qualities will be in
iured and if the feed is not adequate
milk production will fail. Feed may
be too expensive and milk too low to
give /. profit, but stinting feed is not
the way to remedy the loss. If a man
intends to remain in the dairy bust
ness he should feed his cows to capac
ity.
If he desires to reduce expenses he
should get rid of the Improbable ami
mails which consume maximum amount
of feed and produce a minimum amount
of product. A large proportion of the
dairy herds in this country can be
made more profitable by the applira-
tion of testing methods. Then after
the good cows have been selected and
the poor ones disposed of, it will pay
to feed the good cows all that they
will eat because after they have pro-
vided for their bodies any surplus nour-
ishment will be turned into milk. Vt
the cow is given only enough feed to
maintain her body, she will eventually
quit producing milk.
A COW that weighs thousand
pounds and produces 25 pounds of S
per cent milk a day will give pound
and quarter Of fat day This fat
at the present price would be worth rs
cents. In addition the 90 pounds of
skim milk at only 70 cents hundred
would be worth little over Is cents.
Thus the total value of the cows dairy
production will be 90 cents. This COW
receiving a ration Of 10 pounds of al
falfa, 30 pounds of silage, pounds of
corn chop, pounds of bran and
pound of oil meal will return profit
of "a cents a day above the cost of
feed, which at prevailing prices would
amount to Sc cents day. If the dairy
farmer has provided a considerable
amount of home grown feed especially
roughage, he can reduce his feed costs
and consequently increase his profits
considerably. He can at least save the
expense of marketing his rough feed
and thus turn it to milk.
1t is false economy to reduce the
feed of dairy animal in view of the
fact thai the milk production Of a
good COW vaIies directly with the
amount Of surplus feed which the cow
receives above maintenance. 1t is not
likely that any dairyman will feed the
cows a sub maintenance ration, but if
he feeds them reduced ration he
cannot expect maximum milk produc-
ton.
1t will be necessary to keep records
since it will not be profitable to feed
an excess after certain point of pro-
duction has been reached, because the
returns from excess feeding will de-
crease rapidly and will not pay for the
increased production above that point.
The effect, therefore, should be to feed
for maximum profitable production. Tt
is not likely that any practical feeder
will feed in excess of this point. The
greatest danger lies in underfeeding.
A silo will save 10 cents on the pro-
duction of pound of butter; 40 cents
on the production Of 100 pounds of
milk and $1.50 on hundred pounds of
beef. It also saves labor, insures
large milk production and quick fat
tening of stock. 1t insures your corn
crop, for neither drought, frost nor
hail can claim it where the silo is used.
Ask the man who has one.
By all means build silo this year.
Six times more feed can be raised on an
acre put into corn and that put into
silo than this same acre in grass. Land
is high and pasture on high priced land
is losing proposition. Make your
,,ro. oorr n oood dividend each year.