state Dairy Association. 



229 



We should note that there is enough protein in this ration to 

 produce 35 to 45 pounds of milk, but only enough carbohydrates 

 for 25 pounds. It is not so objectionable to have an excessive 

 amount of protein as it is to have too much carbohydrates. To 

 illustrate this let us make a ration of timothy hay and corn chop : 



In this ration there is enough protein to produce only 10 

 pounds of milk, or about one and one-half times less milk than the 

 ration containing 18 pounds of alfalfa hay. A yield of two tons 

 of timothy hay per acre is considered very good — at this rate an 

 acre will produce enough timothy hay, when fed with corn, to 

 produce 2,200 pounds of milk. It is not uncommon to grow four 

 tons of alfalfa per acre, and four tons of alfalfa, when fed with 

 corn, will produce 11,000 pounds of milk. In other words, an 

 acre of land, when sowed to timothy, will produce 2,200 pounds of 

 milk, and if sowed to alfalfa, it will produce 11,000 pounds of 

 milk; that is, one half an acre of alfalfa and 888 pounds of corn 

 will produce 5,500 pounds of milk, and one acre of timothy and 

 888 pounds of corn will produce 2,200 pounds of milk. Does not 

 this illustration show that it is more profitable to raise alfalfa than 

 timothy hay? There is another point which we have not consid- 

 ered, and it is this, that the timothy hay and corn make a very 

 poor combination, not only for making milk, but for keeping the. 

 animal in good physical condition. 



Feeding the dairy cow for profit involves the study of each 

 animal in the herd ; it requires that a man should know the amount 

 of milk and fat that each animal is capable of producing; the 

 dairyman should grow alfalfa and clover hay, instead of timothy, 

 to feed with corn silage and home grown grain; a farmer should 

 understand the relative composition of feeds, so that an intelligent 

 combination can be made; the relative market prices should be 

 ascertained in order to know whether it is advisable to exchange 

 home grown grain for mill feed, and it is well to understand the 

 relative prices of feeds and dairy products that we may know 

 whether to feed concentrates liberally or sparingly. High-priced 

 feed and low prices for milk or its products is an undesirable com- 



