170 DOMESTIC ANIMALS, DAIRYING, ETC. 



better relished and more of it eaten. This method of feeding re- 

 quires time and care, but it pays. 



If the cows are given their rough feed in racks out of doors, it 

 will pay to put feed in these racks often, so that the feed will be clean 

 and appetizing. Mangers, feed troughs, and racks should be kept 

 clean and fresh from old, soiled feed, both as a matter of health and 

 because the food in a clean manger smells and tastes better. 



The dairyman's rule should be to harvest feed in its most pala- 

 table form and feed in the most appetizing manner. (Kan. B. 81.) 



Silage and Vegetables. One of the chief requisites of a ration 

 for profitable milk-production is that it be succulent, by which is 

 meant that a portion of the ration contains a large percentage of 

 water. This watery condition, or succulency, adds to the palatability 

 of the food, and also seems to have a beneficial physical effect upon 

 the animal digestion. The cow, therefore, eats a larger quantity of 

 food, digests and assimilates it more thoroughly, and consequently 

 gives a larger flow of milk. Although the major portion of Califor- 

 nia does not have the long cold winters to which the Eastern States 

 are subject, and where it is an absolute necessity to store large quan- 

 tities of food, both succulent and dry, still every section of our State 

 has a longer or shorter period during the year when pastures are 

 dry. The provident dairyman, therefore, anticipates these dry 

 months, and either lays in a store of green food beforehand, or has 

 some growing which he may cut and feed to his cattle. 



Roots. Several of the vegetables are valuable in supplying suc- 

 culence for the ration. Among the root class the one in most com- 

 mon use is the mangel wurtzel beet, because very large quantities 

 can be grown per acre and because it is palatable to all kinds of live 

 stock. Carrots are also used in some sections, and they have the ad- 

 vantage of containing a slightly larger amount of dry matter than 

 mangels. Of all the roots moreover none are more relished by horses 

 than carrots. Sugar beets are not found profitable to grow for feed- 

 ing stock, because they yield so small a tonnage in comparison to 

 mangels, and the greater cost of growing and gathering can only be 

 undertaken on the ground of their greater value for sugar. Potatoes 

 contain about twice as much dry matter as mangels and three times 

 as much carbonaceous material. They are, therefore, of greater food 

 value, but, like sugar beets, have too high a commercial value as 

 human food to make them profitable for stock. 



Squashes. Another class of vegetables which are useful and 

 easily grown is that of the melons or squashes. A very familiar ex- 

 ample is the so-called pie-melon. This, like the ordinary field pump- 

 kin, can be produced readily in large quantities on most lands, and 

 it ripens at a time when green food is likely to be scarce. All of 

 these vegetables when fed to dairy stock produce an increased milk 

 yield, which is more than commensurate with their actual content 

 of food substance. This is because of their palatability, beneficial 

 effect upon digestion, and the addition of a wholesome variety to the 

 ration. Any of the vegetables named may be fed with profit to 



