Thirty-sixth Annual Convention 995 



It is now that the feeder will begin to appreciate the value of 

 the careful and liberal feeding given before freshening, for in 

 all likelihood he has been rewarded with a strong, vigorous calf 

 not predisposed to all the ills that affect calves less fortunately 

 born, and he finds the mother strong, fleshy and ready to work. 

 She has much extra fat stored up in her body and this is well, 

 for, unable to utilize large amounts of food she at once begins 

 drawing upon the reserve nutrients that are stored, and converts 

 them into milk and butter fat. The purpose of the feeder has 

 changed and it is now to encourage by feed and care tli,e trans- 

 ferring of the fat from the body to the pail. Succulent foods and 

 those rich in protein, stimulate milk secretion at the expense of 

 body fat. Therefore, it is well to continue the nse of green foods, 

 roots, silage, beet pulp, leguminous hays and in addition a light 

 feeding of such protein feeds as bran, oil meal, ground oats and 

 gluten feed. In the beginning, the daily ration should not exceed 

 four or five pounds and this should be increased slowly and on 

 alternate days. All concentrated feed given and all milk yielded 

 should be weighed. No feeder, no matter how experienced, can get 

 the best out of a cow unless by the use of the scales he knows every 

 day the results he has attained that he may use the knowledge 

 on the morrow. Realizing this to be a fact, many most successful 

 record makers now provide for each cow a box large enough to 

 hold a day's ration and at a convenient time each day her feed 

 for the next twenty-four hours is weighed and placed therein. 

 A little extra work, but results will pay well for it. Developing 

 cows is a business and auy business that is worth while is worth 

 doing in an expert manner. By using boxes in this manner, the 

 twentv-four-hour ration can be divided as best suits the demands 

 of the cow. 'Some cows eat better in the morning, some at noon 

 and some at night. Often it is found best to give a cow one-half 

 of her outiro dav's ration at nio-ht, leaving the other half to be 

 divided between the next two or three feeds, and this can readilv 

 be done where the full ration is available. 



After the first day's ration has l)een given, results begin. On 

 the following day the scales will tell the amount of milk stimu- 

 lated thereby. On the third day, the ration should be increased 

 one-half or three-quarters of a pound, and as a result the fol- 



