DAIRYj SEED IMPROVEMENT, STOCK BREEDERS MEETINGS. 34/ 



fat, we reduce the hay feed, and by the use of laxative feeds, as 

 silage, mangels, etc., we can often get a satisfactory flow of 

 milk. In seeding down, we use red clover and alsike liberally, in 

 order to have as much clover as possible in our hay. We use 

 oats as a nurse crop in seeding down, and cut the oats, when in 

 bloom, for hay. A heavy crop of oats is hard to cure, but the 

 hay, when well cured, is very palatable, a good milk-producing 

 feed, and gives variety to the rations. If allowed to mature 

 more fully before cutting, the stalks become woody and unpalat- 

 able, and much of the grain passes through the cows, whole and 

 undigested. We used to sow Canada peas v^ith the oats, but the 

 weight of the vines often lodges the oats ; the mixture is harder; 

 to cure into hay tham oats alone, and the pea vines proved 

 unpalatable to many of our cows. 



In summer, we feed most of the cows what hay they will eat ; 

 of course that is but a small quantity when pastures are flush. 

 When pastures get short, in July, we begin to feed silage in 

 addition to hay and grain, or if we have no silage, we mix 

 about 60 pounds of dried beet pulp with six or seven quarts of 

 feed molasses, stirred into three gallons' of hot water, let stand 

 half a day in tulbs for the pulp to become saturated and softened, 

 and feed a'bout two quarts of the mixture to a cow, night and 

 morning. The food value of so small an amount is ridiculously 

 small, but it seems to be a milk stimulant, the ash probably being 

 of value, as well as the succulence. Our cows did not take 

 kindly to the mixture at first, but learned to like it after a few 

 days, and soon were very eager for it. \Vhen no silage is 

 available, we can get the same results from beet pulp and 

 molasses. 



We feed about thirty pounds of corn silage a day, to cows giv- 

 ing a good flow of milk and, if we can spare it, we use silage 

 to condition dry cows and to keep the heifers growing. Second 

 crop clover makes excellent silage. If the clover can be put in 

 to fill the silo two-thirds full, and com immediately cut in on 

 top of it, the corn will jam the clover down so that there will be 

 no waste on top; otherwise the clover lies up so light that the 

 air gets into it, and it will spoil to the depth of a foot or more. 

 The clover has to be put in whole with us, as we are almost sure 

 to pick up some stones in the handling, which would smash our 

 cutter knives. If kept level as it is put in, the clover silage 



