CHAPTER III 

 FEEDING ON PASTURE 



For many farmers the pasture season is the time of greatest 

 milk production. The cows are bred to freshen in the spring so 

 that the period of largest milk flow will coincide with the spring 

 and summer months. This system is called summer dairying. On 

 the other hand, the cows managed for maximum production in 

 the winter are well along in their lactation period at the time of 

 going on pasture and may be dry toward the end of the summer. 

 Whether the cow is at the height or at the end of her lactation on 

 pasture the principles of feeding involved are the same. 



43. Turning to pasture. — The thing of first importance is to 

 have as good pasture as possible. Every farmer can better his 

 pasture by paying a little more attention to proper fertilization, 

 reseeding and to keeping down brush and weeds. Detailed sug- 

 gestions for the improvement of old pastures are given in Chapter 

 XXV. Pasturing as heavily as the land will stand is the best 

 way to control the brush and weeds, but of course overgrazing 

 must be avoided. Each animal requires one and one-half to 

 two and one-half acres. Some shady places where the animals 

 can go in the heat of the day help a lot. There should be 

 plenty of good water and the animals should not have to go too 

 far to get it. 



The change from the winter ration to pasture feeding should be 

 a gradual one. The feed obtained from pasture will be more laxa- 

 tive and will contain less nutriment in a given amount because of 

 the large amount of water. Thus, the cow should be allowed to 

 adjust her system gradually to the change of feed. On turning 

 the cows out the roughage of winter feeding can be cut down 

 rapidly but the grain should be decreased more slowly and several 

 days elapse before it is discontinued entirely. 



44. Importance of additional feed. — The next thing is to 

 give the cows some extra feed as soon as the pasture commences to 



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