DAIRY CATTLE 



445 



was found that either linseed meal of 

 ground flaxseed could be safely fed in 

 rations of 8 pounds a day. 



In Kentucky, it has been observed 

 that when linseed meal is added to the 

 ration, the coat of the cows is sleek and 

 the animals appear thrifty. At ordi- 

 nary prices it is not believed that more 

 than 5 pounds can be fed daily with 

 profit, and as a rule 1 to 2 pounds is 

 more economic. When 1 pound of lin- 

 seed meal is added to a ration of 6 to 

 8 pounds of corn and bran a consider- 

 able increase is noted in the amount of 

 milk and a slight increase in the fat 

 percentage. Linseed meal may likewise 

 be profitably fed to cows on pasture. As 

 compared with an exclusive corn meal 

 ration, the addition of linseed meal and 

 bran will always increase the yield of 

 milk and butter. The old and new 

 process linseed meal are of about equal 

 value. In Michigan, no specific effect 

 of linseed meal was noted in the butter. 

 In Pennsylvania, it proved equal to cot- 

 tonseed meal, and in Wisconsin, slightly 

 superior for producing milk when com- 

 pared with either wheat bran or corn 

 meal, and a rather better quality of 

 butter was obtained. According to Ger- 

 man experience, flaxseed may disturb 

 the digestion unless fed in small quan- 

 tities. 



Nutrene— This feed, acording to Hilla, 

 contains molasses absorbed by oat clip- 

 pings, together with cottonseed hulls, 

 corn and a little cottonseed meal. Some 

 of the cows to which Hills fed nutrene 

 showed considerable aversion to it and 

 only one ate a full ration of 8 pounds 

 a day. The market price of nutrene 

 during this experiment was $23, and the 

 results from it indicate, that it was not 

 a profitable feed at that price. 



Oats — This grain is quite extensively 

 fed to milch cows. In Vermont, an oat 

 feed was found equal to a mixture of 

 bran and corn meal in equal parts. 

 Quaker oat feed made 2 or 3 per cent 

 less milk than a mixture of corn meal 

 and bran, but the quality of the milk 

 was the same. At the Maine experiment 

 station, oats were found equal to wheat 

 bran for milk production, while in Wis- 

 consin, they proved rather more effective, 

 but also more expensive. In Scotland, 

 oats are considered as producing an ex- 

 cellent quality of butter. ^ Ordinarily, 

 this grain is too high in price to be used 

 as an economic dairy feed. 



Peas — I n Scotland, peas are much 

 prized as a dairy feed, but are not as 

 much used for milch cows in this coun- 

 try as in fattening rations for steers, 

 sheep and hogs. 



Rye meal — This grain was tested at 

 the Pennsylvania experiment station in 

 a well-balanced ration. It checked the 

 flow of milk slightly and proved to be 

 inferior to corn meal. It is not much 

 used as a feed for milch cows. 



Sorghum meal — I n experiments in 

 New Jersey, this meal, when free from 

 hulls, had no bad effect on the health 

 of the cows and did not unfavorably 

 influence the taste, color or composition 

 of the milk. It produced 7 per cent less 

 milk than corn meal compared with it 

 under similar conditions. 



Spelt—Wilson, in South Dakota, has 

 found that it required 2 pounds more 

 of spelt to produce a pound of butter 

 fat than when barley or corn is fed 

 under the same conditions. The weight 

 of the cows, however, increased some- 

 what more on a spelt ration than on a 

 corn ration. 



LARGE VS SMALL GRAIN RATION'S 



It is a matter of great importance 

 to determine the relative economy in 

 grain rations of different size. The 

 ability of different cows to make a profit- 

 able use of grain varies greatly, and the 

 grain rations as actually fed by different 

 dairymen vary from 2 to 12 pounds a 

 day. It should be understood, however, 

 that only the best dairy cows can utilize 

 the large grain rations. It may be laid 

 down as a general principle that the 

 more grain the cow can utilize properly, 

 the greater profit she yields to the dairy- 

 man. The actual size of the profitable 

 ration, however, must be determined by 

 careful observation of each individual 

 cow. This is a matter which depends 

 entirely on the skill of the feeder. 



At the Vermont experiment station, 

 a few cows on rations of 6 torl4 pounds 

 a day of mixed meal, showed an increase 

 in the quantity and fat content of the 

 milk. The milk sugar was especially 

 increased. Other cows, however, got off 

 feed or showed no change. In these 

 experiments, cows gave one-third more 

 milk and butter fat on full grain ra- 

 tions than without grain, and, as a rule, 

 better results were obtained from heavy 

 than from light grain feeds. Only good 



