FEEDING DAIRY CATTLE 131 



due to the advance in the lactation period, reduce the feed to 

 correspond to the decline in milk. 



The following rules serve as a -general guide for practical 

 feeding : 



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

 times. 



2 . Feed 1 pound of grain per day for each pound of fat 

 produced per week, or 1 pound of grain per day for each 



3 pounds of milk produced by Jersey ; 3| by Ayrshire ; and 



4 by Holstein. 



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

 weight. 



Ic is best to become accustomed to thinking in terms of 

 wei g;ht rather than in terms of measure in calculating rations 

 and feeding dairy cows. It is often more convenient when 

 feeding to measure than to weigh the feed. The most prac- 

 tical plan generally is to feed with a measure and weigh the 

 feed mixture used often enough to make it possible to esti- 

 mate closely how much is required by measure to give the 

 weight desired. 



121. The Balanced Ration. The most common mistake 

 made in feeding dairy cows, next to underfeeding, is giving 

 too little protein. This mistake is especially common in 

 the corn-belt on account of the wide use of corn and timothy 

 hay, both very deficient in protein. Where alfalfa hay is 

 fed the ration nearly always has enough protein. A milking 

 cow must use a certain amount of protein, and no other 

 material can take its place. A ration is said to be balanced 

 when the protein and carbohydrates are in the right pro- 

 portion. 



It is not possible to make a good ration by using corn and 

 timothy hay unless large quantities of mill feeds rich in 



