FEEDING FOE MILK PRODUCTION 267 



The most accurate means of determining the ration needed 

 is by calculation based upon the feeding standards. How- 

 ever, the following rules are of service as a general guide for 

 practical feeding : 



1. Feed all the roughness the cows will eat up clean at all 

 times. 



2. Feed one pound of grain per day for each pound butter 

 fat produced per week, or one pound grain daily for each 

 three pounds of milk. 



3. Feed all the cows will take without gaining in weight. 

 The rule regarding the amount of grain to feed per day to 



each cow applies only when good roughness, such as corn 

 silage and clover, cowpeas, or alfalfa hay is used. The second 

 part of the rule, in regard to feeding one pound of grain for 

 three pounds of milk, will not work out in all cases. For a 

 heavy-milking Hoist ein cow, for example, this gives a little 

 too large a quantity of grain, and with a cow giving very 

 rich milk it is a little too low. It applies best to cows pro- 

 ducing milk of about average composition. 



The rule based upon the butter fat produced per week is 

 the best, as it applies to any breed. If the roughness be 

 timothy hay or corn fodder, considerable more grain must be 

 fed in proportion to the amount of milk produced. 



Home-Grown Balanced Rations. One reason why the 

 average farmer makes a mistake of feeding his cows rations 

 that are not properly balanced is that it is easier, or he 

 thinks it is, to grow feeds that are excessively rich in carbo- 

 hydrates and lacking in protein. This comes about prin- 

 cipally by the large amount of corn and timothy hay grown 

 and used. It is impossible from these feeds to make a ration 

 that supplies the necessary nutrients to produce much milk. 



