Cooperative Work with Columbia University 399 



Fuudameiitally considered, attention is directed to the study of 

 cattle feeding to cheapen the cost of production. Most of us will 

 agree that the farmer plays a minor part in determining the sell- 

 ing price of his milk. He can, however, materially cheapen the 

 cost of producing it by taking advantage of market conditions as 

 to feed. It has been demonstrated by exhaustive experiments that 

 when grain is high in price the average cow can be fed abnormally 

 large amounts of roughage to advantage. During the present 

 winter some dair\Tiien have fed large amounts of alfalfa and 

 reduced the grain ration. Experiments have shown that eleven 

 pounds of alfalfa hay will replace eight pounds of wheat bran in 

 the daily ration of a cow that is not producing an excessively large 

 amount of miJk. The same can be said regarding the feeding of 

 roughage in developing the dairy heifer. While the general effect 

 of feeding a large amount of roughage and a small amount of 

 grain may retard, to a slight extent, the maturity of the heifer, 

 the physiological effect will be good in accustoming the alimentary- 

 tract to handling rough feed and consequently in developing large 

 stomachs. Almost the reverse situation seems to take place when 

 a high grain ration is fed to the developing heifer. In this case 

 the heifer grows rapidly and matures earlier than when less grain 

 is fed. It is not always economical, however, to feed a high grain 

 ration. 



The modern system of feeding dairy cows always presupposes 

 the feeding of large amounts of roughages; and, as a rule, the 

 piore of this that can be grown at home the more economical it 

 will be for the farmer. In almost all cases silage is the principal 

 roughage fed with other forages such as alfalfa, mixed hay, soy 

 beans, cow peas, oats and barley, etc. In many cases silage is fed 

 both summer and winter where pasture is likely to be deficient. 

 Soiling — that is, cutting feeds while still green and hauling 

 directly to the barn to be fed while still in a succulent condition — 

 while not practiced to such an extent as it was before the silo 

 came into such general use, is still sometimes advantageous for 

 short periods during the summer when the cows may be tiring of 

 the silage or when the silage is short in quantity. 



The astonishing results of Detrick, who was able to raise all 

 the roughage needed for thirty head of cattle — seventeen of which 



