DAIRY CATTLE 



451 



The importance of supplying protein 

 in home-grown crops, rather than buy- 

 ing it, has been clearly shown by experi- 

 ments in New Jersey in which it ap- 

 peared that a ration containing 36 

 pounds of soy bean silage, 8 pounds of 

 alfalfa hay and 6 pounds of corn meal 

 produced more milk and at a cost of 

 8 l /2 cents less a 100 pounds than a ra- 

 tion in which the protein was supplied 

 in wheat bran, dried brewers' grains and 

 cottonseed meal. 



Bermuda grass hay_This hay is fed 

 quite extensively, especially in the 

 southern states, and the grass is used 

 as a pasture for dairy cows. Few feed- 

 ing experiments have been made with 

 it, but it appears that it is equal to tim- 

 othy for milk production. 



Bronie grass_The chief advantage of 

 this grass is that it starts early in the 

 spring and is much relished by cows. In 

 New Hampshire, brome grass pasture 

 proved not quite equal to alfalfa or a 

 mixture of blue grass and white clover. 

 Brome grass is not raised extensively 

 enough for the hay to become an impor- 

 tant element of the ration for dairy 

 cows. 



Clover occupies the same place in the 

 northeastern portion of the country as 

 does alfalfa in the West. It may be fed 

 in the form of hay, silage, as a soiling- 

 crop, or may be pastured. In Vermont, 

 clover silage was found unequal to corn 

 silage for milk production. It appeared 

 to be superior to Hungarian grass for 

 milk and butter production in experi- 

 ments in Connecticut. In Iowa, red 

 clover proved about equal to peas and 

 oats as a soiling crop, and in Massa- 

 chusetts rowen equaled peas and oats, 

 but the cost of milk production on rowen 

 was higher than on a combination of 

 green vetch or oats or on green fodder 

 corn. In Michigan, clover silage was 

 well relished by cows and kept well, but 

 apparently nothing is added to the value 

 of clover by ensiling it, as some farmers 

 have found that green clover, like green 

 alfalfa, may be ensiled in outdoor stacks 

 as well as in regular silos. 



In Wisconsin, a ton of clover hay 

 was found to be equal to 3 tons of corn 

 stalks. Ordinarily, when the term 

 "clover" is used, reference is made to 

 red clover. From New Jersey south- 

 ward, however, crimson clover is an im- 

 portant crop on stock farms and has 

 been widely used for dairy purposes. 

 According to Lane, in New Jersey, crim- 



son clover hay may be profitably sub- 

 stituted for nitrogenous feeds. In 

 these experiments, crimson clover hay 

 showed a value of $16.50 a ton, when 

 wheat bran cost $26 a ton and dried 

 brewers' grains $20. The yield in milk 

 from clover hay was $33.10 an acre, or 

 313 per cent over the cost of production. 

 In these experiments the annual yield 

 ranged from 1 to 3 tons to the acre. 



Corn. — The country over, corn fur- 

 nishes probably the most important 

 roughage for dairy cows and more ex- 

 periments have been made with it than 

 with any other crop used for this pur- 

 pose. Like most other forms of rough- 

 age for milch cows, corn may be fed dry 

 in the form of corn stover or corn fod- 

 der, ensiled, as a soiling crop, or occa- 

 sionally green corn is pastured. Silage 

 ordinarily means corn silage, since this 

 is the chief crop preserved in silos. If 

 corn is fed in the form of silage, the 

 best results are obtained by feeding 

 some hay with it. 



Conner, in South Carolina, found that 

 corn stover had a greater feeding value 

 than cottonseed hulls for dairy cows and 

 produced milk at a cost of 6.8 cents 

 a gallon. The estimated value of corn 

 stover in these experiments was $4 a 

 ton. According to Canadian experience, 

 corn silage fed in quantities up to 60 

 pounds a day makes butter equal in 

 quality to that from mixed, coarse fod- 

 der. It is recommended, however, that 

 not more than 50 pounds of silage be fed 

 daily. A larger percentage of fat was 

 obtained in milk from cows on Robert- 

 son^ mixture than from those on 

 straight corn silage. 



Nourse, in Virginia, found that great 

 reliance may be placed on the corn plant 

 when the hay crop is cut short by a dry 

 spring. In some cases, where the early 

 season is unsuited for plant growth, late 

 planted corn will produce a cron which 

 is far less expensive for feed than cot- 

 tonseed hulls, but more effective in milk 

 production. 



Corn shives — In Maryland, Patterson 

 has tested corn shives for dairy cows. 

 Cows fed on this material for a period 

 of four months produced more milk and 

 butter on less feed than when hay and 

 corn fodder were used. Corn shives 

 appeavs to be an economical feed for 

 milch cows and usually produces more 

 butter than is obtained from hay, even 

 if the milk yield is no greater. 



