FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



questions which arise regarding the de- 

 tails of feeding apply equally to all 

 breeds and no distinction is therefore 

 made in this regard in the following 

 account. For the production of milk in 

 large quantities, it is necessary to feed 

 liberal amounts of grain and attention 

 is, therefore, first given to the discussion 

 of the relative value of grains for dairy 

 cows. 



The best results cannot be secured in 

 dairying without feeding grain. Even 

 when the pastures are in the best condi- 

 tion and when soiling crops are fed in 

 large quantities, the addition of a lib- 



Bran — Wheat is seldom fed to dairy 

 cows without grinding, but in the form 

 of bran it is generally utilized as the 

 basis of a dairy ration and is an excel- 

 lent feeding stuff, although it contains 

 less protein than cottonseed meal. Soule 

 has urged that since wheat bran costs 

 nearly the same as cottonseed meal in 

 the South, it may be relatively too ex- 

 pensive in many localities of that sec- 

 tion. In Canada, ground wheat has 

 proved a wholesome and effective dairy 

 feed, but not equal to mixed meal. In 

 Vermont, bran was found about equal 

 to buckwheat middlings, barley meai, 



Fig. 283 THE WELL-FORMED HOLSTEIN BULL, MERCEDES JULIP'S PIETERTJe's PAUL 



(Courtesy of Horace L. Bronson's Star Farm) 



eral grain ration increases the milk 

 yield. If cows are on good pasture, the 

 effect of grain may not be apparent at 

 once, but as the pasture becomes short 

 or dry, the grain ration may be grad- 

 ually increased and will have uniformly 

 beneficial effects in cows which have al- 

 ready become accustomed to grain feeds. 

 In order to secure the largest milk 

 yield, cows should be stimulated to the 

 best possible flow of milk during the 

 early stages of lactation and this flow 

 can be maintained by judicious feeding 

 of grains. In the following paragraphs, 

 notes are given on the value of the com- 

 mon grain feeds used for dairy cows. 



corn meal or cottonseed meal and in 

 Colorado this feed gave greater yields of 

 milk than other grain feeds. In Iowa, 

 the milk yield was always increased by 

 feeding bran to cows on pasture, and in 

 Maine, wheat meal proved somewhat su- 

 perior to corn meal. In Massachusetts, 

 bran was less effective, in some in- 

 stances, when added to a silage ration. 

 In Minnesota, ground wheat appeared 

 to be equal to ground barley or corn 

 meal. Wheat middlings and bran, mixed 

 half and half, were found more effective 

 than bran alone in tests at the North 

 Carolina experiment station. Roller 

 bran proved equal to corn meal and 



