FEEDING AND CARE OF DAIRY COWS 



255 



on to the body of a Holstein, we would then expect the Holstein to give 

 Jersey-like milk. It is not the feed, nor the body, nor the digestive 

 tract of the cow, but the glands of her udder, which determine the 

 characteristics of the milk yielded by each individual. After all, this 

 is what we should expect, for if milk varied with every slight change 

 of food and condition, the life of the young, dependent on such milk, 

 would be in constant jeopardy. 



While the kind of feed given the cow does not materially change the 

 percentage of fat in her milk, in some cases it does alter the character 

 or nature of the fat. The fat of milk is composed of several kinds 



USE OF FEED BY COWS 



LIBERAL RATION FED TO 

 GOOD DAIRY COW 



THREE-FOURTHS RATION 



HALF RATION 



LIBERAL RATION FED TO 

 BEEF COW 



FOR MAINTENANCE FOR MILK FOB GAIN 

 PRODUCTION IN WEIGHT 



Fig. 72. — It Pays to Feed Good Dairy Cows Liberally 



When fed liberally a good dairy cow can use half her feed for milk production. 

 When fed a three-fourths ration she can use only one-third of her feed for pro- 

 ducing milk, and when fed a half-ration she needs all her feed to maintain her 

 body. A heef cow, if fed a liberal ration, will turn part of her surplus feed into 

 fat instead of milk. (After Van Norman.) 



of fat — palmitin, olein, stearin, butyrin, etc. When a cow is given 

 feeds rich in vegetable oils (which contain much olein), the milk fat 

 will then contain more olein than normal. This usually tends to 

 make the butter softer, for olein is a liquid fat, but in some instances 

 this tendency is offset by still other changes in the composition of 

 the fat. Cottonseed and cocoanut meal produce firm, hard butter. 

 A change from dry feed to pasture generally produces fat higher in 

 olein, resulting in softer butter. 



Influence of feed on yield of product.— Tho the kind and amount 

 of feed do not materially affect the richness of the milk, the amount 

 of milk a cow will yield, and hence the total yield of fat, depends on 

 her feed and care, until her full capacity for milk production is 



