16 BETTER DAIRY FARMING 



of milk and 136 pounds of fat. This experiment brings out in a 

 very remarkable way, what a fine combination is alfalfa hay and 

 corn silage, and that a fair yield of milk is possible on these feeds 

 alone. Certainly they must have kept the cows in good condition 

 or production would not have been maintained over six years. 

 The reader will do well to ask himself whether his cows are averag- 

 ing over 7,000 pounds yearly. 



32. Minerals. — No mineral supplements have been added to 

 any of the grain mixtures given. We recommend the addition of 

 one to two per cent of pure ground limestone, ground rock phos- 

 phate or steamed bone meal where little legume roughage is fed. 

 Any material added should be ground fine enough to pass a twenty- 

 mesh sieve. It may be worth while to add one of these sources 

 even where legume roughage is used. Certainly this will be true 

 as soon as we know how to cure the roughage so as to preserve 

 the factor that aids in lime assimilation. (13) A year's develop- 

 ments may change our present ideas and recommendations. In 

 the meantime, we are inclined to advocate the use of minerals as 

 insurance even where their value is not proved. They are cheap 

 and can do no harm and we may learn a lot from the experience 

 of farmers using them. 



There are a number of proprietary mineral mixtures on the 

 market. These mixtures have no merit whatever over unmixed 

 ingredients which supply the needed minerals, — lime and phos- 

 phorus. The proprietary mixtures contain a number of ingre- 

 dients of no proven value which add nothing but cost to the ration. 

 We advise against their use. 



33. Salt. — The cow should receive one to two ounces of salt a 

 day. Two or three ounces can be fed three times a week if more 

 convenient, simply throwing it into the manger any time during 

 the day. Of course, the salt can also be mixed with the grain 

 ration. The practice of salting the animals once in two weeks is 

 not a good one. 



34. Feeding without silage. — In talking about feeding thus 

 far we have assumed that the farmer has silage. Of course we 

 know that many farmers do not have silos and that even those who 



