THE HOLSTEIN MILK MACHINE 147 
thing that will make milk; other things being 
equal, then the cow that consumes the most 
food will produce the most milk. This is 
the secret of the Holsteins’ wonderful capacity for 
assimilating enormous quantities of food without 
retaining it under their hides in the shape of fat. 
They have been bred for centuries with the 
milk product in view, and they have become 
notable machines for that purpose. They are 
not the cows for people to keep who have to 
buy feed in a high market, for they are not easy 
keepers in any sense; but for the farmer who 
raises a lot of grain and roughage which should 
be fed at his own door, they are ideal. They 
will eat much and return much. 
As to feeding for milk, I have followed nearly 
the same plan through my whole experiment. 
I keep an abundance of roughage, usually 
shredded corn, before the cows all the time. 
When it has been picked over moderately well, 
it is thrown out for bedding, and fresh fodder 
is put in its place. The finer forages, timothy, 
red-top, clover, alfalfa, and oat straw, are always 
cut fine, wetted, and mixed with grain before 
feeding. This food is given three times a day 
in such quantities as will be eaten in forty-five 
minutes. Green forage takes the place of dry 
in season, and fresh vegetables are served three 
times a week in winter. The grain ration is about 
as follows: By weight, corn and cob meal, three 
parts; oatmeal, three parts; bran, three parts; 
