FEEDS FOB THE DAIRY COW 371 



ration of ground corn, corn silage, and either alfalfa or soybean hay. 

 The amount of each supplement was adjusted so that all rations 

 furnished the same amount of protein. Relatively small amounts of 

 the supplements were required to balance these rations, which were al- 

 ready fairly high in protein, due to the legume hay. Both with alfalfa 

 and with soybean hay, the production of milk and of butter fat was just 

 a trifle higher when the cottonseed meal was fed, but there was no con- 

 sistent difference in the amount of dry matter in the feed required for 

 100 Ibs. of milk or for 1 Ib. of butter fat, when the different supplements 

 were fed. 



In a feeding trial with 24 cows lasting 120 days at the Virginia Sta- 

 tion, 35 Soule and Fain found that the relative amount of digestible crude 

 protein contained in cottonseed meal and gluten meal was a fair measure 

 of their feeding value. Moore of the Mississippi Station 36 concluded that 

 1 Ib. of cottonseed meal was worth as much as 1.5 Ibs. of wheat bran for 

 dairy cows. 



598. Cold-pressed cottonseed cake; cotton seed. Cold-pressed cotton- 

 seed cake was found slightly less valuable than the same weight of a 

 mixture of 2 parts of choice cottonseed meal and 1 of cottonseed hulls 

 in a trial by Lee and Woodward at the Louisiana Station. 37 They con- 

 clude that the chemical composition of cold-pressed cottonseed cake is a 

 reliable indication of its feeding value. (248) Moore found at the 

 Mississippi Station 38 that 100 Ibs. of cottonseed meal was equal to 171 

 Ibs. of cotton seed in feeding value for dairy cows. (245) 



599. Linseed meal. Without question, old-process linseed meal is one 

 of the most valuable feeds for dairy cows. (254) This high rank is due 

 not only to its richness in protein, but even more to its slightly laxative 

 and conditioning effect, which aids in keeping stock thrifty and vigor- 

 ous. For this reason, many experienced dairymen include 1 to 2 Ibs. of 

 linseed meal per head daily in the concentrate mixture they feed their 

 cows, even when other feeds, such as cottonseed meal, are cheaper sources 

 of protein. Linseed meal is especially valuable, due to its laxative and 

 regulating effect, when no succulent feed is available or when hay from 

 the grasses or dry corn forage must be fed in place of legume hay. 



This feed, which is highly palatable to cattle, is greatly esteemed in 

 fitting animals for show or sale, for it aids in producing finish and bloom 

 and in making the hide mellow and the hair silky. It is also widely 

 and successfully used as part of the concentrate mixture for cows on 

 official test and in preparing cows for freshening. Van Pelt writes, 39 

 "Fed with ground corn, ground oats, and bran at the rate of 2 Ibs. 

 daily for 60 to 90 days prior to freshening, it develops a condition of 

 quality and sappiness in the cow that insures successful parturition and 

 promptness in coming to her maximum flow of milk The 



^Va. Bui. 156. ""Miss. Bui. 60. 



""Miss. Bui. 70; see also S. C. Bui. 117 



3T La. Bui. 110. '"How to Feed the Dairy Cow, pp. 73-6. 



