776 IOWA DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE 



Give the heifers good, comfortable quarters, preferably a shed 

 open to the soutli, clover hay, corn silage or roots, a little corn, 

 bran and ground oats, with some corn fodder and straw once in a 

 while for a change. Silage or roots will take the place of succu- 

 lent pasture grass and will tend to keep them in good healih. 



WHEN TO BREED. 



The proper time to breed the heifer will depend upon the breed 

 as well as the growth and development of the individual. Early 

 maturing animals of the Jersey and Guernsey breed should ordi- 

 narily be bred to freshen at 25 or 2 6 -months of age, while Hol- 

 steins, Ayrshires and Brown Swiss heifers should freshen at about 

 2 8 months of age. Heifers that are large and heavy fleshed should 

 be bred younger than smaller heifers of the same breed. It costs 

 from $50.00 to .|60.00 to grow a dairy heifer up to producing age. 



FEED AND CABE OF THE DAIRY BULL. 



It is important that the herd bull be kept by himself or with 

 other bulls rather than allowed to run with the herd of cows. It 

 is essential that the dairy bull receive exercise. This may be pro- 

 vided by having a pasture or paddock opening from his shed or 

 stall so that he may go in and out at will, or by turning him out 

 into a special pasture each day. Many dairymen keep the bull 

 exercised by placing him in a tread mill each day, the power being 

 utilized in some cases to run cream separators, washing machines, 

 grind stones, etc. The dairy bull, being a very nervous animal, 

 should never be abused or teased, that may make him mean. 



Dairy farmers are practically unanimous in the opinion that a 

 too liberal ration of silage is not good for the herd bull. When 

 so fed the animal is usually rather heavy middled, sluggish and 

 slow in breeding. The large amount of silage distends the middle 

 unduly and does not supply the balance of nutrients necessary to 

 keep the animal vigorous and active in service. In addition to a 

 small quantity of corn silage, alfalfa or clover hay should be fed 

 and a grain ration of corn, oats, bran and a little oil meal. 



HERD RECORDS. 



"Know your cows" is a stepping stone to success in the dairy 

 business. The only accurate method of determining the relative 

 merits of the cows in the herd and thus make it possible to weed 

 out the cows that do not return a profit, is to make use of the milk 

 scale, the Babcock fat test and the feed record throughout the 

 whole lactation period. The following records should be kept and 

 will prove of great value to the dairyman: Production of milk, 

 production of butter fat, feed records and breeding records. 



The production records may be kept by all and" require but very 

 little time and effort. Blank milk sheets may be secured from the 

 publishers of any dairy paper and it requires about a minute per 

 day to weigh and record the weight of milk at each milking. To 

 determine the production of butter fat, a careful composite sample 



