8 BULLETIN" 615, U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



these calves sold at weaning time there were only 109, which is hardly 

 enough to be an accurate measure. They, however, made an average 

 profit above all expenses of $2.25 a head. 



Approximately two-thirds of the calves in each group were carried 

 through the winter and were inventoried when turned on pasture 

 during the following May. All showed a loss at this time, but the 

 loss was much less for the calves whose dams received the ration of 

 more than 80 per cent roughage. These calves showed a loss of $4.25 

 per head, as against $15 for those whose dams received less than 40 

 per cent roughage. The calves in the third group, in which the cows 

 received 40 to 80 per cent roughage, showed a loss of approximately 

 $11.25. 



USE AVAILABLE FEEDS MOST ECONOMICALLY. 



Beyond the fact that ordinarily the major, portion of the ration for 

 these cows should be made up of the cheap roughages or farm by- 

 products, such as cornstalks or straw, there is no fixed rule that 

 should govern the quantity or the kind of feeds used except that the 

 ration should be adequate and economical. Whether the, remainder 

 of the ration shall be composed mostly of hay, fodder, silage, or grain 

 will depend ordinarily on local and seasonal conditions. 



In years when there is a serious shortage of corn, farmers will find 

 it necessary greatly to reduce the quantity of the corn that ordi- 

 narily is fed as grain' or in fodder or silage. That this can be done 

 under many circumstances is evident from a further study of the 

 records. They show that a ration which does not contain corn either 

 as grain or in fodder or silage can be fed without any detriment what- 

 ever to the cows or their offspring. There were 149 farms feeding 

 such rations, the majority of them in Kansas and Nebraska, and they 

 produced as good calves as the farms feeding corn. The winter feed 

 bill on these farms was $13.10 per cow, as against an average of 

 $16.60 for those using grain, fodder, or silage, showing a saving of 

 $3.50 per head due to elimination of corn. 



The use of such a grainless ration, which on these farms consisted 

 solely of hay and cheap roughage, is, of course, not always possible 

 or practicable. If this type of ration is to be economical, there must 

 be an abundance of cheap hay to combine with the rough feeds; or, if 

 the bulk of the ration consists of cheap roughage, which, unless there 

 is some winter pasture, is largely composed of carbohydrates, there 

 should be a sufficient amount of leguminous hay, such as alfalfa or 

 clover, to supply the protein needs of the animal. In localities where 

 there is a shortage of hay but where large quantities of cheap rough- 

 age, such as corn stover, straw, or damaged hay, is available, this 

 cheap roughage often can be made to serve as the greater part of the 



