River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1921-05-05
STARTLING STATEMENTS
Of INTEREST
TO EVERY FARMER
A. c. Palmer, one of the leading dairy.
men of Indiana, in an article in recent
issue Of HOard'S Dairyman said:

sS00S Va AAO0Ao . ASoAA AAAs~AA Ss~sNse
out experimenting feeds Is one Of the greatest sins
Of the dairyman and the thing more than all others
responsible for decreased milk and butterfat produce
ton. / speak from an experience Of my own.
'Ninc tenths Of the dairymen are at fault in that
their cows are. underfed. and no small percentage
70 large extent. this Is due to an ignorance Of
food properties and values as for instance feeling
that corn fodder, or corn silage even. and bran
make balanced ration.
what is grass anyway What sort Of q magic
food is 1t that IT should be considered perfect feed
ticaly hay with water in it. and what farmer that
even pretends 70 keep cows would think q feeding
the feed the poor cow usually gets throughout the
summer
II have heard the argument raised that since grass
Is the natural food for cows. them when there Is
plenty Of 1t. that is all she needs. The answer is
that since the production Of milk In larger quantity
function Of the COW. unnatural methods must be
adspd t produce It Green Gsss VIII inps 81 e
petizng and stimulating qualities will encourage
miR production. But all too often the stimulating
duction when she does not receive greater supply
Of food her body makes up the difference so that
in the spring. Then the dairyman must build her
Up aFng h o wn.s ss %S ons ana
Tn 1917 fed my cows until June 10. and. like
my neighbors. gave them pasture alone until Sep
made me hurry feed shipments. But even then The
damage was done. and the decrease continued until
time 70 dry tneIn rms year i cOntinueu tne gram
feed throughout the summer, and the same cows
having cayed at nearly the same time last year. are
Swing now 40 per cent more milk than the sea-
son before Some credit must be given TO the i'm
proved pasturage conditions this year, but to my
mind the biggest reason the feed they got the past
summer is now giving results. And this extra 40 per
cent Is than making good the feed the cows ate
feed short in quantity is no worse than feed
short in quality. The man who thinks he can winter
a herd OF dairy cows on ration OF corn fodder or
hay and bran. is lacking III ne knowledge necessary
brains and study as much as any business man
may enter The problem Of percentage of protein.
carbohydrates. and fat needed to produce certain
quantity Of milk in Of determined weight
must be solved II the dairyman is to produce milk
at profit.
Zone can't start today with even perfect ration
and expect big increase next week. or next month
Many run down: they have been underfed
and their systems deranged It takes time to get
them Strengthened out and nature working right. It
takes from six months TO year to notice the real
results that will come from proper feeding Of COW
that has been under nourished FOR years. These
things can't be done in days"
And again pointing to the one great mistake made
by dairymen. Mr.. Palmer SAYS And. strange
though 81 sounds It is fact that the greater part
Of the undertaking the part OF the farmer with
pasture comes during the summer months"