FOURTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR KOOK— PART X 769 



FEEDING GRAIN IN SUMMER. 



Dairy farmers are divided in their opinion as to whether or not 

 it pays to feed grain when the cows are on pasture. The practice 

 of many successful dairymen, and the one in vogue at the college 

 dairy farm, is to give the animals no grain the first month they 

 are on grass. Thus they secure a rest. Later a small quantity of 

 such feeds as cracked corn, cottonseed meal, ground oats, etc., 

 should be given the heavier producers in addition to the silage or 

 soiling crops to keep the cows up in flesh and production. 



ENCOURAGING PERSISTENCY OF LARGE MILK FLOW. 



The persistent cow, or the one that milks well for the entire 

 lactation period, is the profitable cow. In order to induce per- 

 sistency the following points must be observed in addition to weed- 

 ing out the non-persistent animals: 



1. Proper feeding. 



2. Breeding to calve in fall of year. 



3. Proper milking and manipulation of udder. 



4. Regularity. 



5. Kindness. 



6. Grooming. 



7. Watering. 



8. Salting. 



9. Keeping flies from cows. 



Proper feeding must extend throughout the year and the ration 

 changed to meet the changing needs of the cow. If the cow begins 

 to fatten, lessen the carbohydrates and increase the protein in the 

 ration. If she begins to get poor, increase the carbohydrates. 

 Regulate the amount of feed by the amount of milk and butter fat 

 produced. Cows producing milk rich in butter fat need more grain 

 in proportion than do cows producing a low testing milk. 



Breeding to Calve in Fall: Cows bred to calve in the fall will 

 yield from 15 to 2 5 per cent more milk in the year than if they 

 freshened in the spring, because in the former case when they go 

 out on pasture in the spring they will increase slightly in milk 

 flow, while if they freshen in the spring they are worried by the 

 hot weather and flies, and oftentimes by a scarcity of feed, and soon 

 start to decline in flow. Another factor of importance in this 

 connection is the fact that irrespective of time of freshening, cows 

 will give a slightly higher per cent of fat during the winter months 

 than during the hot summer months. There are many other reasons 

 why it is better to have the majority of the cows calve in the fall; 

 for instance, the higher price paid for butter fat during the winter 

 months, the time available for looking after the herd during the 

 winter months, and the fact that calves born in the fall have a 

 better chance for growth during the first year. 



Milking and Manipulating the Udder: The cow should be milked 

 by the same man at the same time each day, and always milked 



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