BREEDS OF DAIRY CATTLE 179 



is calculated beginning four days after calving, thus making the end 

 of the first week eleven days after calving. From the results ob- 

 tained, which bid fair to be average, the second and third weeks of 

 a cow's lactation are the best, and there is not much difference be- 

 tween the two. A cow reaches her highest production of butter fat 

 at an earlier period than she does her greatest milk flow. (Nebr. 

 B. 76.) 



Salt Required. A cow should receive enough salt to compen- 

 sate for the chlorine contained in the milk produced. In general 

 this will require about .6 ounce of salt for each 20 Ibs. of milk given. 

 A slight excess will do no harm and it is recommended that dairy 

 cows be given at least 1 oz. of salt per day. Exceptionally heavy 

 milkers will require more than this. (Wis. 22d Annual Report.) 



Cattle Food Substitutes. On the farm or in the city, it is folly 

 to pay feed prices for low-grade material of lower utility than the 

 ordinary forms of farm roughage. If consumers should see the 

 original of some of the fine-ground materials which are appear- 

 ing on the market, they would almost refuse it as 'bedding, for fear 

 the animal might eat it cocoanut shells, peanut shells, rice hulls, 

 coffee hulls, and various other kinds of hulls, all trading on the 

 reputation of the genuine products, such as true cocoanut meal, pea- 

 nut meal, rice meal, etc. 



It is doubtful if any feed with less than 7 per cent protein is a 

 wise purchase, unless under exceptional circumstances. Even aver- 

 age cob meal contains nearly 8 per cent. As a rule, when the amount 

 of protein present in a feed falls below 7 per cent its place is taken by 

 crude fiber, and the purchaser does not receive any greater amount, 

 if as much, of the more digestible forms of carbohydrates than if the 

 protein were furnished. 



Consumers are, therefore, advised to be on their guard in the 

 purchase of some of these so-called cheap feeds. As a rule, buy 

 standard feeds, for their quality may be pretty accurately judged. 

 Avoid materials which, you are confidentially informed, are of 

 slightly inferior grade; they are apt to be very much so. If the 

 material offered is such that the law requires it to be guaranteed, 

 insist on having the guarantee and study it. (N. J. B. 156.) 



What Concentrates Shall the Farmer Purchase? Concentrates 

 do not permanently affect the percentage composition of the milk. 

 Feeds having a high fat percentage, such as cottonseed meal and 

 distillers' dried grains may temporarily increase the fat and cream 

 percentage, but the milk shortly returns to its normal composition. 

 The richness of the milk in fat depends primarily on the breed and 

 individuality of the cow and also upon the stage of lactation. The 

 only way to make more cream and more butter is to make more 

 milk. 



There is no "best" grain ration. Some feeds are better suited 

 than others for milk production, and some are decidedly more eco- 

 nomical. It would, of course, be out of place in a publication of this 

 kind to attempt to specify which is the most economical grain or 

 grain mixture for the reason that the market is subject to frequent 



