FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 55 



Tile two piiiicipal bulky foods growu ou IIk' fuiMu lor the dairy herd 

 should be corn silage and clover hay. Why? Because: 



1. There is no plant adapted to the climate and soil of Michigan that 

 will produce so many pounds of cow food per acre as the corn plant. The 

 most economical way to preserve this plant is in a good silo. Many ex- 

 periments prove that under the best conditions there is a loss of only 

 8 per cent in food value when it is made into ensilage, while dry cured 

 corn fodder loses as ordinarily handled 50 per cent, and under the most 

 favorable conditions about 25 per cent or 17 per cent more than when 

 ensiloed. Now 17 per cent of the value of the corn plant is well worth 

 considering. Again, silage, owing to its succulence, is much more palat- 

 able than dry fodder. Besides, it costs no more to put the plant into the 

 silo than to harvest it in any other way. 



2. The clover plant should be 



PRODUCED ON EVERY FARM IN MICHIGAN. 



It gathers nitrogen from the air; it ]uimpsu]) phosphoric acid and potash 

 from the sub-soil, and it improves the mechanical conditions of heavy soils 

 by reason of the penetrating power of its roots. But besides this, the 

 dairyman wants clover hay to feed along with corn silage. Corn silage 

 contains only a trifle over 1 per cent protein, while clover hay contains 

 nearly 3 per cent. The dairyman should therefore strive to grow large 

 crops of corn and clover. 



a^HE NECESSARY RATION. 



Both scientific experiments and practical exjierience prove conclusively 

 that a dairy cow should have about 2 to 2.5 pounds of protein, 12 to 15 

 j.'aunds carbohydrates, and 0.5 to 0.8 pound of fat per day. How can W(' 

 possibly get this proportion of these food elements from these home 

 grown feeds? There is not enough protein in proportion to the carbo- 

 hydrates and fat. And the farmer must if he want to feed economically, 

 and profitably, buy some concentrated food rich in protein. He has a 

 choice of wheat bran, gluten feed, oil meal, and cottonseed meal, and he 

 can well afford to let the price of a pound of protein in these different 

 foods determine which he shall bu}'. If he can buy that pound of protein 

 cheaper in wheat bran, then buy wheat bran; but if he can buy a pound 

 of protein cheaper in oil meal or cottonseed meal, then buy these foods to 

 feed with the corn silage and clover hay. 



OUR PRESENT RATION. 



At present we are feeding 40 pounds of corn silage; 10 pounds of clover 

 hay; 3 pounds of wheat bran; 2 pounds of gluten feed^ and 2 pounds of 

 oil meal. There is no objection to feeding straw, corn stalks or roots in 

 connection with these foods, indeed they either one or all are beneficial 

 because they furnish a variety. 



Cow^s should never be fed more than they will eat up clean. If one 

 leaves only a small portion of her food the ration should be cut down at 

 once and then gradually increased. It is important that the cows should 

 be fed regularly. It matters not so much at just what time night and 

 inorning as it does that thev be fed everv dav at the same time. 



