FEEDING DAIRY COWS. 85 



DISCUSSION ON FEEDING DAIRY COWS. 



The Discussion reported below, occurred on the forenoon of 

 Wednesday and afternoon of Thursday, but is here put into con- 



nected form for better reading. 



Hon. C. J. GiLMAN of Brunswick. It seems to me that we in 

 the State of Maine, are to do more with our dairies in the future 

 than we have in the past. I think the indications on that point 

 are very decisive. We have the very richest of feed, and I have 

 no doubt that the production of butter and cheese is to be a source 

 of great income. The animal that is to produce our butter and 

 cheese is the cow. Now how shall that cow be fed so as to pro- 

 duce the most at the least cost. [The speaker here read an 

 article from Prof. Arnold of Rochester, N. Y., in relation to the 

 well known experiments made by Mr. Miller and Mr. LasoUe in 

 feeding dairy cows with corn meal, with and without hay, and 

 continued] Now, I don't propose to recommend the supplanting 

 of hay by corn meal, but it does seem to me that most of us hav- 

 ing stock, have been somewhat negligent in regard to this matter. 

 If we can take three quarts of corn meal, weighing 4.68 pounds, 

 and get out of that 3| pounds of absolute food, and if you can 

 purchase that and cut down your hay one-half or two-thirds, and 

 have your cow in better condition, it seems to me we ought to 

 look at the points of economy presented thereby. Call it 200 

 days a year that you have to keep your cow at the barn. Feed 

 ten pounds of hay per day, and in 200 days your cow will con- 

 sume a ton of hay. Three pounds of meal per day at the rate of 

 75 cents per bushel, would be 4| cents per day for 200 days, or 

 $9.00. Now, assuming that the average price of bay is $14 per 

 ton, you will have $9 for concentrated food, and $14 for hay. I 

 think I hear some one say — "It is impossible to carry a cow 

 through on a ton of hay." But have you, gentlemen of the Board, 

 given the thing a fair trial ? Have you examined it personally ? 

 If you feed three pounds of concentrated food per day at 75 cents 

 per bushel, you carry your cow through for $23. If you feed three 



