^16 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [11 Sept.^ 1916. 



The above table comprises standard conceBtrates. There are many 

 others in the market, particularly mill offals, but owing to the great 

 variations in composition, their inclusion is unwarranted. Where the 

 feeder is obtaining good results from their use, he should continue; but, 

 if frequent fluctuations are noticed in the results, it would be advisable 

 to discontinue and make use of some concentrate more constant in value. 



The amount of net available nutrients in a food does not of itself 

 fix the food value, even when different foods are obtainable at the same 

 price. The palatability and quantities which may be fed without causing 

 digestion troubles are important factors. Excessive quantities of oil 

 meals should at all times be avoided, and a lesser quantity given in sum- 

 mer than in winter. A mixture of concentrates is preferable to the 

 sole use of any particular one. 



In selecting rations for dairy cows under local conditions, a difficulty 

 arises in determining both the amount and quality of feed obtained in 

 the paddock; whether it is sufficient to enable the cow to produce her 

 maximum quantity of milk or only a portion of it. If sufficient is 

 obtained in the paddock, then any addition is unnecessary, but if the 

 paddoek feed is only sufficient to produce 2 gallons daily and the cow can 

 on suitable feed produce 3 gallons, then it will be profitable — when prices 

 for butter fat and concentrate are normal — to supplement the feed with 

 the requisite amount of foodstuff. The dairy cow is always most profit- 

 able when yielding her maximum. It is not an easy matter to tell when 

 the individual members of a herd are producing their maximum amount 

 of milk. Sometimes, condition acts as a rough guide. Cows putting on 

 fat without increasing the flow of milk may be regarded as producing 

 their best. The lower yielding cows may be compared with the higher. 

 If in the same herd some cows are producing 4 gallons, one can readily 

 assume that those giving 3 gallons on the same food and under equal 

 conditions are not likely to profitably increase on receiving additional 

 food. When a cow is losing condition it is a sure indication that her 

 food supply is insufficient and should be increased, particularly by the 

 addition of concentrates. This does not apply to fat newly-calved cows, 

 and conversely where hand-feeding is practised, the putting on of fat 

 should be regarded as a sign that the animal — from a milking view — 

 is not making the most profitable use of her food, which should 

 accordingly be reduced, unless it be for a drying cow to build up in 

 preparation for the ensuing season. 



The first question to be considered in the feeding of milking cows 

 is: Are they yielding their maximum amount of milk? If not, what 

 kind and quantity of feed are necessary for them to do so, and will it 

 pay to provide the amounts ? The first question can only be answered 

 by increasing the feed and noting the result, the second by a consideration 

 of the increase expected, the prices and food values of common cattle 

 foods. 



The food of a milking cow is used for two purposes — 



1. Maintenance. — The upkeep of the body and development of the 

 foetus or unborn calf. 



2. Milk Secretion. — The amount of food nutrients required for the 

 maintenance of an average cow is — protein .5 lbs., carbohydrate 5 lbs., 

 as determined from the average analysis of locally-grown foodstuffs. The 

 above amounts were found by the writer to be sufficient for in-calf cows 



