FEED AND CARE OF THE DAIRY COW 397 



needed ranging from 0.5 to 2 Ibs. for a cow yielding 1 Ib. of butter fat 

 to 4 or 5 Ibs. for a cow producing 2 Ibs. of butter fat a day. 



Heavy producers require a narrower nutritive ratio than ordinary 

 animals, and hence it may be advisable to alter the character of the 

 concentrate mixture for them. It is also wise to feed a more nitrogenous 

 concentrate allowance to cows showing a tendency to fatten, while those 

 losing flesh should receive a larger proportion of the carbonaceous con- 

 centrates, such as the farm-grown grains. Since heifers in milk are still 

 growing, in addition to giving milk, they should be fed more liberally 

 than mature cows yielding the same amount of milk. 



648. Succulent and palatable feed. The great importance of suc- 

 culent feed for the dairy cow has been shown in the trials which have been 

 reviewed in the preceding chapter. (629-44) These show clearly that 

 it pays to provide succulence, either corn silage or roots, for winter 

 feeding to take the place of the green grass the cows get in summer. 

 The value of succulent feed is due in no small measure to its beneficial 

 laxative effect and to its palatability, which undoubtedly tends to stim- 

 ulate digestion. (109) In general, not only should succulence be sup- 

 plied, but the rest of the ration for cows yielding a good flow of milk 

 should be as palatable as possible. Such roughages as timothy hay, 

 straw, and corn stover may be used in limited amount, but for the best re- 

 sults should not constitute the chief roughage. As has been pointed 

 out before, concentrates which are not relished when fed alone may be 

 mixed with well-liked feed, the whole forming a palatable mixture. 

 (594, 608) 



The concentrate allowance should be composed of a reasonable num- 

 ber of feeds, for a mixture is relished better than only a single kind of 

 grain or roughage. It is also best to feed at least 2 kinds of roughage. 

 The most successful dairymen maintain that when a satisfactory bal- 

 anced ration has been provided, it is then best to make as few changes 

 as possible. 



649. Bulkiness of concentrate mixture. When a high producing cow is 

 fed a liberal allowance of concentrates, there will be less tendency for 

 her to go off feed if some bulky feeds, like wheat bran, oats, or dried 

 beet pulp, are included in the mixture. Many experienced dairymen 

 prefer a concentrate mixture which does not weigh more than about 1 Ib. 

 to a quart. This point is of less importance with cows of average pro- 

 duction. With them good results can be secured from well-balanced 

 mixtures of heavy feeds, such as ground corn, cottonseed meal, and lin- 

 seed meal, provided the concentrates are spread over silage at the time 

 of feeding. 



650. Good concentrate mixturesr-When plenty of good legume hay and 

 palatable silage is available, no further attention need be given to pro- 

 viding roughage for the dairy herd, for this combination cannot be im- 

 proved. To select a concentrate mixture which will make a balanced 

 ration with the roughage at hand, and at the same time be palatable, 



