126 SECOND THOUSAND QUESTIONS IN AGRICULTURE 



difficult to get on to the fields to haul the beets. Beets may be fed to 

 dairy cows in considerable quantities, if desired. European farmers 

 and some Eastern farmers feed 100 pounds of beets or more, per head 

 daily to cows on official tests for maximum milk production, without 

 regard to the expense involved. Under ordinary farm conditions it 

 will not be advisable, however, to feed much more than one-half this 

 amount to dairy cows supplementary to alfalfa hay. A ration of 20 

 pounds of alfalfa hay and 60 pounds of beet per head daily will contain 

 about 20 pounds of dry matter, 2.7 pounds digestible protein and 11.9 

 pounds digestible carbohydrates and fat, which is about right for cows 

 of average production. If a few pounds of grain be added to the ration 

 this would be still further improved. F. W. W. 



Watermelons for Milch Cows. 



What is the real value of watermelons and pie melons for feed for 

 milk cows? Will they dry them up or leave any bad effects? 



Watermelons contain about ninety per cent of water and only ten 

 per cent of dry matter, hence they are of but limited value for stock 

 feeding and must be supplemented by considerable dry feed, at least 

 hay, corn stalks, straw, etc. In case of the latter being fed, grain feeds 

 high in protein must also be supplied to obtain satisfactory results. 

 The farmer who depends to a large extent on watermelons and similar 

 feeds to supply nourishment to the cows for body maintenance and 

 the production of milk will find that the cows will dry up earlier than 

 good dairy cows should. The same would apply to the feeding of 

 piemelons, but fed in a commonsense way, along with dry roughage 

 and grain, both vegetables will furnish very satisfactory additions to 

 the rations fed and will enable cows to maintain a maximum flow of 

 milk for a normal lactation period. The facts that these vegetables 

 contain only about five to ten pounds of dry matter in 100 pounds and 

 that dairy cows require 20 to 25 pounds of dry matter for an average 

 production, suggest that it is impossible for a cow to eat sufficient 

 quantities of them to obtain the necessary nutrients and that her produc- 

 tion is bound to decrease abnormally if she had to depend only, or 

 even largely, on these vegetables for her sustenance. F. W. W. 



Milo Maize Good Feed. 



/ am told that milo maize will dry up a milch cow. Have been 

 feeding fodder with heads; also feeding my horses same with alfalfa 

 hay. Is there any danger in feeding horses? And will it dry up cows? 

 One neighbor says he has lost 50 hens from feeding it; also has 

 a sick hog. 



There is no evidence that milo maize, properly fed, will dry up 

 milch cows any more than barley will do it. On the contrary, it is 

 certain that it is good feed for cows, horses and sheep if fed in suffi- 

 cient amounts, and along with some feed or feeds high in protein, 

 either hay or concentrates. The apprehension may be explained by expe- 

 rience in feeding milo maize in place of alfalfa and finding that it falls 



