NEW FEEDING FOR MILCH COWS 169 



the green rye. Tlie writer considers the above ration 

 one of the best he has used. Whether there is some- 

 thing in green feeding we yet do not properly under- 

 stand, there is no doubt that such feeding has a value 

 far above that indicated by its chemical composition. 

 The same remark applies to such green feeding as kale 

 and rape fed in winter, and green soiling crops, e.g. 

 vetches and rye grass, in summer. 



If the supply of vetch and cereal hay or dry fodder 

 has become exhausted by spring-time, as often does 

 happen, or if a supply of home-grown beans is not 

 available, or decorticated cotton cake is comparatively 

 cheaper than bean meal, the latter could be sold and 

 decorticated cotton cake, which is also an astringent, 

 used to replace it. When fed in conjunction with 

 decorticated cotton cake, the rye can be used more 

 liberally, say, up to 8 st. per day. With this quantity, 

 4 lbs. of decorticated cotton cake would be necessary 

 to form a suitable ration, without any long fodder. 



SUMMER RATIONS 



Later, in early summer — May and June — according 

 to our rotation, we shall have available both rye grass 

 and green mixed vetches, from 4 to 5 st. of each 

 being given per day according to the amount of milk 

 yielded. In addition cattle giving over 3 gals, of milk 

 per day would repay for one or two pounds of concen- 

 trated food, at least in Great Britain, but in Ireland 

 where summer milk is often sold at from 4|d. to 

 5d. per gal., it would scarcely pay to use concentrates. 



According to our standard rotation, on our 20-acre 

 holding, we should have available for green food 

 4 acres of Italian rye grass and 4 acres of vetches. The 

 former would give three and sometimes four crops in 

 the summer, ''and the latter at least two. Well manured, 

 an average minimum of 20 tons of green fodder per 

 statute acre can be obtained from these crops. 



