state Dairy Association. 261 



inilk. This process cannot be kept up indefinitely, however, and 

 the cow £0on shrinks in milk flow until she yields only in propor- 

 tion to the feed received. On the other hand, if a cow is fed in 

 excess of what she requires for maintenance and milk production, 

 the surplus will be converted into body fat. 



A cow should be fed so that she will produce a full flow of 

 milk and maintain practically the same body weight. 



There is no doubt that the dairyman should produce most oi 

 his feed on the farm if he wishes to produce milk economically. 

 The proper feeding of dairy cows and the maintenance of the soil 

 fertility go hand in hand. Those crops which should be grown 

 on the farm to maintain and improve the fertility of the soil pro- 

 duce that class of feed necessary to furnish a properly balanced 

 ration for milk production. 



The custom on many of our Missouri farms is to raise grain 

 continuously or in rotation with timothy hay, and the cow re- 

 ceives timothy hay from the hay "bunk," corn stalks in the stalk 

 field, straw from the straw stack and a few little "measly nub- 

 bins" night and morning to make her stand still while Ma or one 

 of the girls does the milking. 



Such methods are injurious to the soil, to the dairy cow, and 

 to the financial condition of the owner. 



The maintenance of soil fertility and the proper feeding of 

 dairy cows demand a system of crop rotation including one or 

 more legumes, such as clover, cowpeas, soybeans, or alfalfa. 



The value of clover is recognized by many farmers, and should 

 be grown whenever possible. In some sections of the State clover 

 cannot be grown successfully; and in such cases the cowpea offers 

 an excellent substitute. The cowpea yields a larger amount of 

 hay per acre, that is equal if not superior to clover in feeding 

 value. In Bulletin No. 73 of the Missouri Experiment Station 

 the average yield of cowpeas per acre in Missouri is given as 1.6 

 tons, while the average yield of all other hay crops is 1.2 tons; a 

 difference of only a little less than 1 2 ton in favor of cowpeas. The 

 same bulletin states that the average crop of cowpeas is worth 

 more per acre than the average crop of corn. Besides producing 

 a crop equal to or more valuable per acre than corn, the cowpea 

 improves the soil and enables us to grow better corn, while a crop 

 of corn rec^uces the fertility of the soil so that each succeeding 

 crop yields less than the one before. 



The soybean is not so well known in this State, but deserves 

 more attention. 



