THE FEEDING OF BREEDING ANIMALS 147 



has become lessened naturally in quantity. This 

 grain should be of a nature that will tend to make 

 milk and that will at the same time act as a good 

 carrier of mineral substances. Thus not only the 

 cow but also the developing offspring will benefit. 



Just before parturition laxative foods are to be 

 preferred. Of course, nothing is better than good 

 pasture grass, and if cows have the run of a pasture 

 field from spring to winter little trouble will be 

 met with at calving time. If, however, the calves 

 are dropped during the winter when pastures are 

 no longer available, the next best thing is silage for 

 succulence, and if silage is not available, then mo- 

 lasses, molasses feeds, or the beet pulps and roots. Dur- 

 ing the winter cows either in milk or carrying offspring 

 should be liberally supplied with the legume hays 

 like clover, alfalfa or cowpea, so as not only to pro- 

 vide an abundance of protein but of ash material as 

 well. 



While it is not desired that the dairy cow be fat, 

 still she should carry a reasonable amount of flesh. 

 The production of fat cells in the body is, to a cer- 

 tain extent at least, at the expense of milk cells; 

 therefore the dairy cow with beef tendencies is usu- 

 ally not a profitable milk producer. Since milk is 

 not an object of great importance with the beef 

 animals, bloom, quality and flesh are desired in this 

 class of stock. To be profitable the dairy cow should 

 be in milk ten or eleven months each year. The 

 cow that goes dry after five or six months of milk- 

 ing would be more profitable for the farmer in the 

 fattening lot than in the dairy herd. Two or three 



