No. 4.] BREEDING, ETC., DAIRY CATTLE. 91 



will take them, and should have all it will take of these 

 until it is a year old. The hay should he rowen or early 

 cut fine hay, preferably clover, or alfalfa after the calf is 

 six months old. For the next six months the heifer should 

 consume a large quantity of good hay and 4 pounds of grain 

 per day, if not on excellent pasture. There are many ex- 

 cellent mixtures of grain. We are using a mixture of corn- 

 meal and bran, each one part, and dry grains, two parts, for 

 feeding our young stock. 



If bred to freshen, at two years of age, the heifer should 

 have an increase of grain after she is eighteen months old. 

 I gradually increase the grain from 4 to 8 pounds up to ten 

 days before calving. If there is any sign of caked udder or 

 fever I give a pound of Epsom salts three or four days before 

 calving. I use the same treatment^ for cows about to calve. 



Remember that the heifer carrying her first calf should 

 have all the feed she needs, and of a highly nitrogenous 

 nature. For this reason I would use silage only once a day, 

 but would prefer beet pulp or roots. The hay should be 

 clover or alfalfa if obtainable, but if not, early cut, fine hay 

 should be fed a growing heifer, calf or dairy cow. The 

 quality of a dairyman or breeder may be very accurately 

 rated by the quality of the hay that he feeds. 



Hay for a dairy herd should be stored by July 10, and 

 preferably by July 4. Hay stored later should only be used 

 to feed horses or oxen. I hesitate to discuss the feeding of 

 the milch cow, as in our State, at least, there seems to be 

 such a wide belief in a few simple glib rules that do work 

 fairly well, and if taken at their true value would really 

 be of considerable aid in feeding. A cow in my opinion can 

 no more be fed by rule than can a man. The balanced ration, 

 the number of pounds of grain to the number of pounds of 

 milk, when, and how to feed, all are matters that admit of 

 such variations as the skillful feeder only can apply. I 

 shall offer no dairy rations, but I shall say that the feeder 

 who cannot prepare a balanced ration at a moment's notice 

 is ill fitted for his work, and furthermore the feeder who 

 will not change the composition of the ration as the cow 

 indicates the need of a change, by putting on flesh or losing 



