130 DAIRY FARMING 



milk is reduced 50 per cent. The heavy-milking cow is the 

 one most commonly underfed. It is often observed that 

 heavy-milking cows rapidly get thin in flesh after calving and 

 may drop greatly in the amount of milk within a short time. 

 This is the result of underfeeding. If a certain cow has a 

 capacity to produce only 25 pounds of milk daily and is al- 

 ready receiving enough feed for this amount, it is a waste of 

 feed to increase her ration as she will not correspondingly 

 increase in milk. If a cow of this type is given more feed 

 than she needs, she uses part of it for laying on fat and soon 

 commences to appear smooth and beefy. The practical 

 question arises then as to what means may be employed to 

 determine how much feed a certain cow needs. The most 

 accurate plan is to calculate the ration according to the feed- 

 ing standard as described in paragraph 92. 



There are in addition certain observations that may be 

 made the basis of practical feeding operations. One is the 

 condition of the animal in regard to flesh. The inclination 

 to give milk is so strong in a good cow that when underfed 

 she will continue for some time to give more than is provided 

 for by her ration and will supply the remaining material that is 

 required from her body. This results in a gradual loss in 

 weight. When a cow in milk loses weight, it means that 

 she is underfed and unless her ration is increased soon she 

 will drop materially in milk yield. On the other hand if a 

 cow in milk is gaining in weight, it is evident that she is 

 getting more feed than she is using and her ration may be 

 cut down. 



Another suggestion is to note carefully the amount of milk 

 the cow produces at her best, which will be within a short 

 time after calving. Then be sure to feed enough to sup- 

 port this amount of milk production. Later, as she declines, 



