DAIRY CATTLE 



437 



nearly equal to linseed meal in Wiscon- 

 sin and was a more economical feed than 

 either. In Denmark, tests of wheat 

 bran for dairy cows snowed it to be su- 

 perior to mixed barley and oats. 



A comparison of bran and cottonseed 

 meal was made by Michaels, in South 

 Carolina, 1 pound of cottonseed meai 

 being substituted for 2 pounds of bran 

 in the daily ration. The substitution 

 slightly increased the production of but- 

 ter and effected a small saving in the 

 cost of the ration. The fertilizer value 

 of the manure was somewhat higher 

 when cottonseed meal was used. Otis 



an effective and desirable dairy feed. 

 In Minnesota, ground barley proved 

 equal to ground wheat or corn meal. 

 The Maine experiment station noted the 

 fact that barley as well as peas made 

 a rather soft butter. 



In New York, it has been found that 

 either malt sprouts or brewers' grains 

 may be substituted for oats or peas for 

 milch cows. A test in Wisconsin showed 

 that malt sprouts were slightly inferior 

 to cottonseed meal or corn meal. Much 

 attention has been given in Massachu- 

 setts to the feeding value of malt sprouts 

 for cows. This product may be fed in 



Fig. 284 COLANTHA 4th's JOHANNA, THE HOLSTEIN COW WITH A RECORD OF 



110.833 POUNDS OF BUTTER-FAT, OR AN EQUIVALENT OF 129.3 POUNDS COM- 

 MERCIAL BUTTER IN 30 DAYS 

 (Courtesy W. J. Gillett of Wisconsin) 



suggests that when corn is high, ground 

 wheat may be used as a feed for dairy 

 cows. This investigator fed ground 

 wheat in the place of corn and bran and 

 obtained good results. When the amount 

 of nutriment in bran is considered, it 

 is often cheaper than corn and in some 

 cases may be fed as the exclusive grain 

 ration. It is usually best, however, to 

 mix it with other grains, except when 

 they are too high in price. 



Barley and its "by-products — Like 

 wheat, barley is an economical dairy 

 feed whenever the price which may be 

 obtained for it is not too high. In 

 Germany, barley meal has been found 



rations of 2 pounds or more to replace a 

 slightly smaller quantity of gluten meal 

 in the ration. Malt sprouts contain 25 

 per cent of protein, and are quite read 

 ily digestible. They may constitute one- 

 third of the grain ration and when used 

 in that quantity are an economical dairy 

 feed, as shown by Lindsey. Malt sprouts 

 absorb a large quantity of water and it 

 is recommended that they be moistened 

 before feeding if more than 2 pounds are 

 used. They are bulky and occasionally 

 cows do not relish them at first. 



Brewers' grains are used more ex- 

 tensively in feeding dairy cows than any 

 other farm animal. A few objections 



