TWENTIETH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VI 545 



A dairy cow produces most economically when she is fed up to her 

 normal capacity. For that reason it is essential to have the cow eat 

 as much as possible. In order that she do this it is necessary to supply at 

 all times a ration that is palatable and one the cow is always anxious to 

 receive. To insure palatability care should be taken to select leguminous 

 roughages as far as possible and those which contain all the leaves. 

 In selecting grain, care should be taken to get good clean grains free 

 from mouldy and rancid conditions, also care should be taken in mixing 

 the more palatable with the less palatable feeds. For example, gluten 

 is not palatable to most cows, but it is valuable feed and may be well 

 used in some rations to secure a proper balance of nutrients. 



It would be of little avail to a cow if she should consume large amounts 

 of feed that were low in digestibility as this would overtax her system. 

 Thus it is very necessary to select roughages that are highly digestible. 

 However, in roughages it often occurs that the palatable feeds are the 

 digestible ones although this need not necessarily be true. Hays that 

 have been cut too late are often so "woody" that it requires too much 

 energy to digest them. This is generally true of straws and dried stovers. 

 The digestibility of grains purchased in the market can generally be 

 determined in a relative way by their (fiber) content which usually comes 

 from the hull or outer parts. In selecting grains it is usually more 

 economical to feed those low in fiber even though they are more ex- 

 pensive. This is especially true in feeding different grades of the same 

 product. "The Best is often the Cheapest." The dairy cow more than 

 any other class of livestock on the farm works through the entire year 

 and for a long period of years and for that reason it is highly important 

 that some consideration be given the ration from the standpoint of 

 effect on the digestive tract. An effort should be made as far as possible 

 to supply some feeds which have a cooling effect on the system, such as 

 silage and roots. Here in the Central West silage is the cheapest feed 

 of this sort and all dairymen who are in a position to grow enough corn 

 to fill a silo should have one which will supply the wants of their herd. 



On farms where silage is not available oil meal should be a part of 

 the grain ration, especially during the winter months as this has a 

 soothing and laxative effect on the digestive apparatus. Oil meal may 

 well be used where silage is fed, but if possible it should always be 

 used where silage is not fed. 



Previously it was stated that the cow utilizes large amounts of rough 

 feed, besides this it has been found that a certain amount of bulk is 

 absolutely necessary in the ration. It is said that a cow could starve 

 to death with her first stomach one-third full of food, and this is true 

 because it is necessary to have more than that in the stomach before the 

 cow can ruminate. The matter of bulk has to be given consideration in 

 the case of grains, especially, as the hays and silage are all bulky enough 

 to be properly handled. In making up the grain ration, care should be 

 taken to use as many pounds of bulky grains such as wheat bran, and 

 ground oats as the heavier grains, such as corn meal, gluten and cotton 

 seed meal. It has been found by experiment that corn and cob meal 

 is equal pound for pound in feeding value with corn meal where the cob 



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