352 BuKKAU OF Fakmeks' Institutes. 



the same cow will give 1,000 pounds more milk during the year 

 when she drops her calf in the fall, than in the spring, if she 

 is well cared for and properly fed. 



To Mr. Van Dreser. — How would you tost the individuality of a cow? 



Answer. — First, have her well, then feed her well. Feed a 

 cow all she will eat, digest and assimilate, first finding if the cow 

 will pay a profit on what she eats and the care she receives. You 

 will ascertain her worth by the use of the scales and the Bab- 

 cock test. 



What is the matter with this ration: 15 pounds of timothy hay, five 

 pounds of clover hay, four pounds of gluten feed, 15 pounds of roots 

 and four pounds of bran? 



Mr. Cook. — I see nothing the matter with it; it is, in fact, al- 

 most an ideal one, having a ratio of 1 to 5.4. 



Shall we grind grain for cows finely or have it coarse? 



Dr. Smead. — As a rule, fine, but, in oats, it is not necessary to 

 grind the oat hull finely. If it is only crushed it will do, but the 

 finer the inside or kernel is ground, the better. If you are going 

 to feed ground oats to pigs, sift out the hulls, and the finer corn 

 is ground, the better. Some animals, as a rule, do not masticate 

 grains properly. 



What is the best grain ration, with corn ensilage and hay, for the 

 production of milli? 



Mr. Cook. — Wheat bran or w^heat middlings are as good if not 

 better, all things considered, than any other foods. Gluten is a 

 good food, but it does not contain enough mineral element. We 

 are too apt to loiok for protein only; but the cow must have min- 

 eral matter. Gluten does not furnish it and I should not want 

 to feed a cow enough cotton seed meal to give her the requisite 

 quantity of mineral matter. If I remember correctly, there is four 

 times the quantity of mineral matter in wheat bran as in gluten. 

 But a mixture of wheat bran and gluten, half and half, with good 

 corn ensilage, would make an excellent ration. 



How about barley sprouts? 



Mr. Cook. — Malt sprouts and wheat bran, according to the 

 tables, contain the same per cent, of protein, making the figures 



