260 DAIRY CATTLE AND MILK PRODUCTION 



Amount of Feed. The first condition given as typical of 

 the summer feeding is an abundance of palatable food, and on 

 this point is made one of the most common mistakes in feeding 

 cows. In producing milk, the cow may be looked upon in a 

 way as a milk-producing machine which we supply with a cer- 

 tain amount of raw material in the form of feed, and this raw 

 material is manufactured into milk. The same rule holds as in 

 the running of any other manufacturing plant ; it is run most 

 economically near its full capacity. Every one who feeds 

 animals should thoroughly comprehend that, first of all, the 

 animal must use a certain proportion of its food to maintain 

 the body. This is the first requirement of the animal, and it 

 is the first use to which it puts its food. This is called the 

 ration of maintenance, and it is practically a fixed charge. 

 That is, it is practically the same whether the animal is being 

 utilized for maximum production, or is merely kept without 

 producing any milk at all. 



In the case of an ordinary dairy cow' this ration of mainte- 

 nance amounts to from 50 to 60 per cent of all she can consume. 

 In the case of a heavier producing animal, for example, one 

 producing from 1 to If pounds of butter fat per day, this ra- 

 tion of maintenance amounts to from 40 to 50 per cent of the 

 total feed of the animal. It should be clear that, after going 

 to the expense of giving the animal the necessary amount 

 to keep her alive, it is the poorest economy to refuse to furnish 

 the other 40 to 60 per cent, which she would utilize exclusively 

 for milk production. On the average farm this is one of the 

 most common mistakes made. The importance of liberal 

 feeding for economical production can be easily understood 

 from the following illustration. 



The first illustrates the proper feeding of a heavy-produc- 



