FEEDING DAIRY CATTLE 1/9 



and some substitute of a carbohydrate nature like 

 straw, timothy, or stover is provided. The objec- 

 tion lies in the refusal of the animals to eat when 

 such are put before them. Once the taste of grass 

 is obtained, cows reject other foods, often including 

 grain concentrates. 



When cows in milk are on pasture their treat- 

 ment is very simple, and quite in contrast to the 

 diligent necessities of the stable during winter. 

 Labor is largely dispensed with, except what is re- 

 quired for milking. Cows that are heavy in calf are 

 nowhere so well treated as when on pasture. They 

 gather their own feed, and even on scanty pasture 

 manage to add flesh and to get in good shape for the 

 fall and winter season of milk giving. 



Feeding Grain on Pasture. Many things enter 

 into dealing with the problem as to whether grain 

 shall be fed on grass or not. Cows do give more 

 milk if given grain on pasture, but the cost of pro- 

 ducing the milk will thereby be increased and the 

 practice may not be economical. Certainly the 

 cows that give but little milk should not be grained 

 when on good pasture. The very heavy milkers may 

 be given grain, anywhere from two to eight pounds, 

 depending on the yield and the nature and condition 

 of the pasture. One pound of grain to every 10 

 pounds of milk may be given to the lighter pro- 

 ducers, and this may be increased to one of grain to 

 six of milk when cows are yielding from 40 to 50 

 pounds daily. 



The kind of grain will depend on what is available. 

 Corn is satisfactory if but two or three pounds are 



