The Dairy Cow — Scientific Findings. 387 



or scant the increased milk flow will fully and directly compensate 

 for the concentrates or soilage fed. 1'he residual effects from con- 

 centrate-feeding on pastures, as pointed out by Roberts and Linfield, 

 are most important and should not be overlooked. Where the pas- 

 tures are short, unless soilage crops or concentrates are fed, the 

 milk flow will surely decrease, and, even should the pastures improve 

 later, the cows cannot be brought back to their normal milk flow. The 

 greater value to the pastures of the droppings from concentrate- 

 fed cows will often prove the deciding factor with thoughtful dairy- 

 men. 



611. The proper concentrate allowance. — A knowledge of the 

 proper amount of concentrates or grain v.hich should be fed the cow 

 is of great economic importance. Linfield of the Utah Station,^ 

 where alfalfa hay is largely fed for roughage, states that any excess 

 over 6 lbs. of concentrates in the ration usually increases the cost 

 of production. Stewart and Atwood of the West Virginia Station,- 

 feeding timothy hay and corn silage for roughage, found that any 

 increase in concentrates beyond 5 or 6 lbs. per cow daily did not 

 bring corresponding returns. Hills of the Vermont Station,^ after 

 years of study of rations in which mixed hay and corn silage usually 

 formed the roughage, concludes that it does not pay to feed the 

 dairy cow less than 4 nor over 8 lbs. of concentrates daily. WoU 

 and Carlyle in 2 trials at the Wisconsin Station* found when mixed 

 hay and corn silage formed the roughage that 8 lbs. of concentrates 

 gave as good returns in milk and fat as 12 lbs. 



Attention is directed to the comparatively small allowance of con- 

 centrates recommended by the various investigators. The reader 

 should not fail to note that where small allowances of concentrates 

 proved the most economical the roughage fed was always ample in 

 quantity and desirable in quality, corn silage carrying more or less 

 grain, and clover or alfalfa hay usually being employed. Where 

 the roughage alloAvance is meager or of poor quality, more concen- 

 trates should be fed. (706, 714) 



612. Water. — At the Pennsylvania Station^ Armsby found that 

 cows averaging about 750 lbs., fed fresh grass in stalls where the 

 temperature averaged 70° F., drank about 60 lbs. of water each 

 daily. Others fed dry grass where a temperature of 73° F. pre- 

 vailed drank 107 lbs. When at the Wisconsin Station® the same in- 

 vestigator found that cows drank more water on protein-rich than 



^ Bui. 43. ^Rpts. 1000-1905. ' TJpt. 1888. 



- Bui. 106. * Rpts. 1899-1900. " Ept. 1886. 



