420 FEEDS AND FEEDING 



distillers' grains, 100 Ibs.; gluten feed, 100 Ibs.; wheat bran, 100 Ibs.; 

 cottonseed meal, 50 Ibs. In addition soaked beet pulp may be fed and 1 to 

 2 Ibs. of molasses a day. Some breeders successfully employ mixtures 

 containing less protein-rich feeds than in this mixture, using a combi- 

 nation much like the first mixture mentioned for fitting ; i.e., equal parts 

 of ground corn or hominy feed, ground oats, wheat bran, and linseed 

 meal. Others feed even a larger proportion of protein-rich feeds. The 

 latter practice is safe only under expert supervision and when great 

 care is taken to provide succulent feed in silage and soaked beet pulp 

 or roots. ' ' Soft-fitted ' ' cows fed for 7-day records are usually fed rations 

 higher in protein when on test than cows fed for yearly records. 



Statements have often been made that certain feeds stimulate the 

 production of milk and of fat to an extent not explained by the amounts 

 of nutrients they supply. However, the results of the trials which have 

 been carried on to study this matter disagree. In some instances a 

 certain feed has apparently stimulated milk or fat production, and in 

 other cases there has been no such effect. In most such trials the experi- 

 mental periods have been too short to warrant definite conclusions. Up 

 to the present, there is no very positive evidence of any continued, specific 

 effect of a feed in stimulating fat production. Some feeds, especially 

 cocoanut meal and ground flax seed, often cause a more or less temporary 

 increase in the fat percentage, and hence are frequently included in test 

 rations. 



For roughage a test cow should have all the choice alfalfa or other 

 legume hay she will eat, with a limited amount of silage, commonly 20 

 to 25 Ibs. and rarely over 30 Ibs. a day. In addition, quite commonly 

 test cows are fed what sliced roots they will eat, or 6 to 10 Ibs. of dried 

 beet pulp, soaked before being fed. Often the beet pulp is soaked in 

 molasses water, made by diluting a quart of molasses with 10 quarts of 

 warm water. 



Test cows are commonly fed concentrates as many times a day as they 

 are milked. This is usually 4 times a day with Holsteins, due to the 

 large amount of milk they yield, and 3 to 4 times with the other breeds. 

 A high-producing cow will usually give a larger yield with 4 milkings 

 than with 2 or 3. 



In summer, cows on yearly test are often turned at night into a nearby 

 pasture where there is good feed, but this is not commonly done with those 

 on 7-day tests. Other breeders turn their cows out only for exercise, but 

 feed soiling crops thruout the season. The recent discovery of the relation 

 of green feed to the assimilation of calcium by cows, emphasizes the need 

 of some fresh green feed, either soiling crops or pasture, especially for 

 cows crowded to high production. (574) 



At all times test cows should have comfortable quarters, and regular 

 care and attention, always by the same herdsman, if possible. The stable 

 should be kept free from flies during the summer. It must always be 

 borne in mind that only when a test cow is thrifty, comfortable, and 



