50 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



7-8 EDWARD VII., A. 1908 



Shorthorn grades 2 



Ayrshire grades 4 



Canadian grades 2 



Guernsey grades 7 



FEEDING THE DAIRY COWS. 



Summer Feeding. 



In summer the area devoted to pasture is necessarily very small since ' The Farm ' 

 consists of 200 acres only and it is expected to produce sufficient hay, roots, ensilage 

 and straw to feed from 120 to IGO head of cattle, 19 to 21 horses, 30 to 50 sheep and 

 from 200 to 300 pigs the year around. 



Of course it is not attempted to produce sufficient grain to feed this entire stock. 



The area devoted to pasture so far as milkers, springers and dry cows were con- 

 cerned during the summer of 1906, was 14 acres. This would have been far from 

 sufficient to furnish enough food for the 40 head running thereon no matter how 

 favourable the season, hence with such an unfavourable season for grass as 1906 it 

 proved entirely inadequate. To supplement the pasture ensilage was fed in large 

 quantities, meal in limited quantities being at the same time allowed to the cows in 

 milk. It may hardly be said that ensilage was found to be a summer feed more 

 satisfactory in every respect than the commonly used soiling crops, peas, oats, vetches, 

 rye, clover, alfalfa and green corn. It had, however, some most marked advantages, 

 (1) it was always at hand no matter what the weather, nor no matter how busy the 

 teams and men in the field; (2) it was always in good shape to feed, that is did not 

 vary in character to such a degree as to affect the digestive organs as not infrequently 

 happens where soiling crops are fed; (3) it was alv/ays palatable to the cattle and 

 eaten with aj)parent relish no matter how much other food was available, (4) it 

 required a smaller area to furnish a given amount of food than would have been 

 required had soiling crops been used. The only objection that might be raised would 

 be that considerable loss of ensilage is probable from rot on surface of silo where 

 the ensilage is not used regularly owing to varjung grass supply. 



Winter Feeding. 



The roughage ration for the winter months was made up of straw, roots, ensilage 

 and clover hay. The straw was cut, the roots were pulped and a mixture in the pro- 

 portion of 400 pounds ensilage, 200 pounds roots and 30 pounds cut straw prepared 

 every second day. This mixture being put in a solid pile fermented more or less in 

 a few hours, and the whole mass became quite juicy and apparently very palatable 

 to the cows by the time it was being fed. It was fed at the rate of about 40 pounds per 

 1,000 pounds live weight of cows fed. 



The meal mixture this year was made up of bran 50 parts, groimd oats 25 parts, 

 gluten 25 parts. This mixture was fed at the same time as the roughage. Each cow 

 received meal in proportion to the amount of milk she was producing. The amount 

 fed varied from 2 pounds per day up to 13 pounds per day. The meal portion was 

 thrown on top of the roughage the cow had just received and the whole mass given 

 a slight stir so as to mix the meal with the roughage, thus ensuring the two being 

 eaten together. After succulent roughage and meal had been consumed clover hay 

 was fed at the rate of about 2 pounds per cow. The cows were fed in this way at 

 5.30 in the morning and 4 o'clock in the afternoon. 



The above paragraphs refer of course to the plan or system of feeding followed 

 most of the time or when no experiments in feeding are under way. It also describes 

 fairly well the system of feeding we have found to give on the whole the best results. 



