166 DOMESTIC ANIMALS, DAIRYING, ETC. 



and one-half pounds; laundry soap, two cakes; fish-oil, one-half 

 pint; enough water to make three gallons. Dissolve the resin in a 

 solution of soap and water by heating ; add the fish-oil and the rest 

 of the water. Apply with a brush. If to be used as a spray, add one- 

 half pint of kerosene. The mixture will cost from seven to eight 

 cents per gallon, and may be used on either calves or cows. One- 

 half pint of this mixture is considered enough for one application 

 for a cow ; a calf, of course, would require considerably less. It will 

 be more economical to apply this only to parts not reached by the 

 tail. At first it will perhaps be necessary to give two or three ap- 

 plications per week, until the outer ends of the hair become coated 

 with resin. After that retouch those parts where the resin is rubbed 

 off. 



At the time of milking, we find that it materially adds to the 

 comfort of the cow and the milker to have material like gunny-sacks 

 that will reach the full length of the cow and come down low enough 

 to hold her tail. This will keep the cow from switching her tail into 

 the milk-pail and into the milker's face. (Kan. B. 125.) 



Bulk in the Ration. Next to the proper nutritive ratio and 

 amount of a ration, its bulkiness must be considered. A certain 

 amount of bulk in the ration is necessary and desirable, and is made 

 up largely by the water and fiber. If the ration is too bulky, the 

 animal is unable to eat enough of it to secure the proper amount 

 of digestible nutrients, and if it is not bulky enough the digestive 

 organs are not sufficiently distended to permit of complete digestion. 

 When the bulk is largely due to fiber, the ration is likely to be too 

 unpalatable to be readily eaten, and when it is due to water a loos- 

 ening and depleting effect on the system is likely to result. Under 

 ordinary conditions for cattle the ration will be sufficiently bulky 

 when two-thirds of the dry matter given is in the form of hay, fod- 

 der or silage and one-third in the form of grain or concentrated feed. 

 For working horses the amount of grain and coarse feed should be 

 about equally divided. (N. H. B. 127.) 



Substituting Alfalfa for Concentrates. Practically speaking, it 

 seems that when an equal amount of alfalfa hay is substituted for 

 wheat bran about one-third more cotton-seed meal will be eaten ; and 

 when alfalfa hay is substituted for cotton-seed meal about three times 

 as much alfalfa hay will be required, pound for pound, to replace the 

 cotton-seed meal. Actual experiments indicate that the theoretical 

 basis of substitution is practically correct. 



The limit of substitution that can be permitted will depend on 

 the individual capacity of the animals to consume alfalfa hay. When 

 alfalfa hay is cheap and abundant it can be fed in what might be 

 termed a wasteful manner. It should be placed before the animals in 

 larger quantities than might seem advisable from a purely economic 

 standpoint, for the purpose of inducing them to eat as much of it as 

 possible, because it provides digestible protein in the cheapest form 

 in which it can be obtained, in other words, than it can be supplied in 

 the form of wheat bran and cotton-seed meal. Ordinarily, not more 

 than from 10 to 12 pounds of alfalfa hay will be consumed with sil- 



