No. 4.] ECONOMICAL MILK PRODUCTION. 107 



storing fat on the body; in other words, feeding her only what 

 she will utilize for milk production. This means feed enough 

 to maintain a practically uniform body weight. In every large 

 herd where the amount fed is not carefully regulated, we find 

 errors made in both these classes. We find the heavy pro- 

 ducing cows being underfed, and we find the light producing" 

 cou's being overfed and allowed to accumulate fat. 



Relation of Live Weight to Proper Feeding. 



The live weight of a cow is a good index of whether the cow 

 is being fed a proper amount or not, but good judgment must 

 be used in regulating the ration by observing this condition. 

 We must expect that a cow will lose weight in the first few 

 weeks of her milking period, but after this period is past there 

 is no reason why she need to change much in weight for several 

 months, and this is the period when the greater part of the 

 milk production is secured. It will not mean, of course, that 

 the animal should not be allowed to gain in weight during the 

 latter end of the milking period. This is necessary on account 

 of the development of the foetus, and since it is natural for the 

 animal to carry some fat on her body at calving time. 



It does mean, however, that in order to feed a herd of cows 

 economically it will not do to feed them all the same quantity 

 of grain, whether they are giving a gallon of milk a day or 

 whether they are giving four gallons; and it means that when 

 a cow in the middle of her lactation period is putting on weight 

 she is being fed more than she needs, and will give just as much 

 milk if the feed is cut down somewhat. It also means that if 

 a certain animal is losing in weight, sufficient feed is not being 

 given, and if the deficiency is not supplied, it will not be long 

 before the milk production will come down to correspond with 

 the amount of feed available. 



Feeding as Individuals. 



In connection with this subject of the amount to feed cows, 



it needs to be pointed out that it is only possible to feed a 



bunch of cows economically when they are fed as individuals, 



and not as a herd. A too common practice, even in the other- 



