FEEDS FOB THE DAIRY COW 375 



tonseed meal, but was more palatable. A mixture of peanut feed and 

 cottonseed meal gave better results than either feed alone. 



Peanut meal from hulled nuts, containing 44.4 per ct. crude protein, 

 proved fully equal to linseed meal in a trial by McCandlish at the Iowa 

 Station. 61 The feeding value of peanut meal and peanut feed varies 

 widely, depending on how much hulls are present in the product. In- 

 deed, the crude protein content will range from 44 per ct. or over in 

 a high grade peanut meal to 28 per ct. or less in peanut feed from un- 

 hulled nuts. It is therefore important always to buy these feeds on a 

 guarantee of chemical composition. 



607. Skim milk. Skim milk is worth much more for feeding to pigs 

 or calves than to dairy cows, tho occasionally, when a surplus is at 

 hand, it is thus used. (266) At the Connecticut (Storrs) Station 62 when 

 sweet separator skim milk was offered to the herd of 24 cows, only 4 

 would drink it, even tho water was withheld for 48 hours and grain was 

 mixed with the milk. With these 4 cows skim milk was substituted for 

 half the concentrates in the ration at the rate of 8 Ibs. of milk for 1 

 of concentrates. This substitution caused a small increase in the yield 

 of milk. 



608. Blood meal; flesh meal; fish scrap, Blood meal is not commonly 

 used for feeding dairy cows, primarily due to its high price, but it is 

 quite extensively used in calf feeding. It is occasionally used in stimu- 

 lating cows to their utmost when on test, but only 1 to 2 Ibs. should 

 be added to the ration. It is not palatable to cattle, tho they can be 

 taught to eat it when mixed with other feeds. In a trial by Lindsey at 

 the Massachusetts Station 63 1.1 Ibs. blood meal was equal to 2.2 Ibs. 

 cottonseed meal. (271) 



Dairy cows may be accustomed to eating flesh meal, somewhat simi- 

 lar to the tankage or meat meal of this country, by mixing a small amount 

 with well-liked concentrates. European investigators do not recommend 

 feeding over 2.2 to 2.8 Ibs. daily per 1,000 Ibs. live weight. (270) 



Fish meal from which the fat had been extracted proved equal to 

 cottonseed meal in trials by Isaachsen 64 with 20 cows. Kiihn 65 states that 

 a daily allowance of 2.3 Ibs. of fish scrap produced no deleterious effect 

 on the milk. (273) 



III. HAY FROM THE LEGUMES 



609. Legume hay for the dairy cow. On most farms in the United 

 States the Indian-corn plant provides the cheapest, most abundant, and 

 most palatable carbohydrates the farmer can produce, but it falls short 

 in furnishing protein, so vital in milk production. Happily, at least one 

 of the legumes alfalfa, clover, cowpeas, soybeans, vetch, etc. can be 

 grown on every American farm to supply the deficiency. The dairyman 



81 Jour. Dairy Science, 5. 1922, pp. 27-38. 



^Conn. (Storrs) Rpt. 1904. "Expt. Sta. Eec. 28, p. 363. 



"Mass. Rpt. 1909, II. pp. 153-157. M Jahresber. Agr. Chem., 1894, p. 482. 



