74 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



drates. I would like to have the professor explain how I am 

 to feed my cows that amount of protein? 



Ans. Suppose the cow gives 20 pounds of milk. Ordinarily 

 milk contains 3.6 per cent of protein, and 20 pounds of milk will 

 contain about three-fourths of a pound of protein. You have to 

 supply that anyway or she cannot give milk. Experiments show 

 that when the cow is dry, not giving milk, she needs about three- 

 fourths of a pound to maintain her body. This makes i^ pounds. 

 In addition, there is a third way in which protein apparently is 

 used by the dairy cow, and that is as a stimulant in milk produc- 

 tion. The minimum amount is i^ pounds. She must have that 

 to put into the casein of the milk and to maintain her body. 

 And the German standard provides an additional amount of the 

 protein to be used as a stimulant in milk production. Some- 

 where between 2 and 2^ pounds must be supplied to get the best 

 results. How are we going to give that protein ? The ordinary 

 home grown foods, like timothy hay, mixed hay or silage, corn, 

 barley or oats will not do it. No sort of combination which we 

 can make of those foods will supply that amount of protein. 

 So it must be supplied in rich, nitrogenous foods, as linseed, 

 cottonseed or gluten, or a mixture of them. I do not believe 

 in feeding too much cottonseed. I would rather feed a little 

 linseed in connection. The protein must be supplied ordinarily 

 by purchased by-products. 



Ques. Suppose the cow does not take much above 30 pounds 

 of timothy hay. She would get from that not far from three- 

 fourths of a pound of protein. Would you supply the balance 

 with cottonseed meal, or linseed meal? 



Ans. The 30 pounds of timothy hay would contain .84 of 

 protein, just about enough to maintain her body. I would not 

 make up the balance with all cottonseed or all gluten. I should 

 want to feed some mixed hay or clover, if possible, which will 

 increase the protein. If the timothy hay is all the farmer has 

 he should feed the grain with some silage. I like to have half 

 the grain ration consist of bran. It is safe, cooling and bulky. 

 But at the present price of bran, that is out of the question. 

 You can distend your grain somewhat by mixing it with cut feed 

 or silage. I know a farmer who one year fed nothing for grain 

 but cottonseed meal. He fed as high as six pounds of cotton- 



