Feed and Care of the Dairy Cow. 477 



material is available as feed for the cow if rightly handled, l^ext 

 to the direct care of the herd, the greatest study of the dairyman 

 should be in learning to economically grow, harvest and admin- 

 ister the corn plant. 



The cow may receive from ten to fifteen pounds of fodder corn 

 daily with advantage. If this has been grown with a ^'nubbin " 

 or small ear on most of the stalks, a fair allowance of the rough- 

 age will furnish as much grain as should be fed. (250) 



728. Corn stover. — Where corn is grown for the grain, the 

 straw or stover which remains after husking the ears, though of 

 less value than fodder corn, may still serve an important place 

 in the feed stable. Cows are fond of the finer parts of the corn 

 stalk, and if the stover is run through a feed-cutter and not too 

 liberally supplied, but a small part of the stalks will be wasted. 

 Wliere the stalks are coarse and inert, as they are in the southern 

 part of the corn belt and further south, this statement does not 

 apply, for there corn stalks are not much relished by cows, though 

 in silage form they are readily eaten. (251) 



729. Roots. — In Europe dairymen make large use of roots. 

 In this country, where Indian corn flourishes, silage from corn 

 will be found more economical considering cost of production, 

 and is equally satisfactory with the root crop for feeding cows. 

 Where the dairyman does not have silage it will be well to feed 

 6(nue roots. Mangels are the best for cows and should be pulped 

 or sliced. Canadian dairymen often pulp the roots and mix this 

 with chaffed hay, allowing the mass to stand a day before feed- 

 ing. From twenty to forty pounds of mangels is a day's allow- 

 ance. Sugar beets also serve for feeding cows. Being much 

 richer than mangels, a smaller quantity should be fed. (325) 



730. Silage. — Silage, principally from the corn plant, is now a 

 fiictor of first importance on thousands of American dairy farms. 

 That silage is well liked by the cow, that she thrives on it and 

 yields milk liberally, that properly fed it does not impair her 

 health, — all these points have been settled in favor of the 

 silo and its product. Since corn silage is rich in carbohydrates 

 and low in protein, clover hay is the common complementary 

 roughage. 



