12 Concrete Silos 



excess food can be used for the production of milk and 

 butter. However, some cows do not make use of this 

 excess food in this way. They use it for surplus fat 

 and flesh, thereby gaining in weight. The chief dif- 

 ference between dairy cows is shown in the difference 

 in the disposition that they make of their food over 

 and above that required for maintenance. Now, if 

 every cow would absolutely refuse to produce a drop 

 of milk until after her daily body maintenance require- 

 ments were met, some of us would learn a little faster 

 how to feed for milk production. But not every, or 

 even any cow, makes this demand. There are three 

 classes of cows when both cows and the feed they are 

 given are considered : 



Class 1. Cows that receive more than a maintenance 

 ration and use the excess for the production of milk 

 and butter. 



Class 2. Cows that receive more than a maintenance 

 ration and use the excess for the production of surplus 

 flesh and fat, storing it away on their bodies, growing 

 heavier every day. 



Class 3. Cows that receive less than a maintenance 

 ration and have to draw upon the food nutrients al- 

 ready stored on their bodies in order to keep up a flow 

 of milk, thus growing thinner and thinner in flesh every 

 day. 



This third or last named class is seldom found in 

 the herd of the man who feeds silage. He feeds as a 

 rule an abundance of palatable, succulent silage in 

 combination with other feeds richer in protein content. 

 The protein in the ration goes to make bone, muscle 

 and the curd in the milk. 



Silage is a roughage. Rurrniants require a greater 

 per cent of roughage in the rat m than do other classes 



