The Question Box. 40 



cially for sheep, provided the barley beards are out of it. The 

 beards do not injure the sheeps' stomach, but they get into the 

 wool, and are very difficult to dislodge. 



Question. — Can you make a balanced ration for a milch cow, 

 of oats, barley and timothy hay? 



Dr. Smead. — Xo; it cannot be done. Such a ration would 

 be wholly one-sided. Oats have a ratio of 1 to 6; barley, 

 1 to 8, while timothy has one of 1 to 14. The milch 

 cows require one of about 1 to 5, so it is seen that there* 

 "would not be protein enough in the ration. Leave out the barley 

 and add bran or buckwheat middlings, or put in some gluten or 

 linseed meal. I should prefer the bran and oil meal unless buck- 

 wheat middlings cost too much. 



A Farmer. — We have to pay $18 per ton for them. 



Dr. Smead. — Buckwheat middlings have a ratio of about 1 

 to 2, and at that price are fully as profitable as is the bran, 

 and as we must have protein to balance the starch and sugar in 

 the other foods, they will be found the cheapest of the protein 

 foods. 



Question. — Does the feed you give a cow make a difference 

 in the quality of her milk, as well as in quantity? 



Mr. Smith. — The cow will give equally rich milk when fed 

 oat straw as when fed wheat bran, oat meal, gluten or clover hay. 

 There are a good many farmers who do not believe it, how- 

 ever, and they say they know the cow will not do it. But they 

 make the mistake of attributing an increase of butter fat to food, 

 when the increase is caused by the shrinkage of the water in the 

 milk. If such shrunken milk is tested by the chemists it will be 

 found there has been a proportionate increase of the total solids, 

 except the sugar, as well as of the fat. If I have a cow that 

 gives normal milk, testing 5.5 per cent, fat, no change of foods 

 will put any more fat into it. It is only when a cow is thrown 

 out of normal condition that a change in the fat is observed. 



Question.- — What kind of mill feed would you buy for the 

 milch cow, in connection with ensilage, bean fodder and straw ? 



Mr. Smith.- — ■ Price will determine. Where can you buy pro- 

 tein the most cheaply? That should be the question asked. 



Question.- — • To what extent may bran be fed in connection 

 with clover hay to our milch cows? 



Mr. Witter. — It is a question that cannot be answered by 

 pounds; individuality must be considered. We are feeding bran 

 and clover hay, but we cannot lay down a special weight. All 

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