PROFIT FROM THE DAIRY I29 



amounts of forage of such bulky nature as clover 

 or alfalfa hay. Under these conditions, their best 

 plan is probably to raise all the corn they can for 

 silage and then purchase in the markets their pro- 

 tein feed. The silage will furnish succulence and 

 bulk to the ration, and will supply all, or nearly all, 

 of the carbohydrates needed, but milk production 

 requires especially large quantities of protein. This 

 can be supplied in the form of bran, linseed meal, 

 cottonseed meal, brewers' grain and various manu- 

 factured feeds which are sold under a guarantee as 

 to their protein contents. 



In recent years the alfalfa-growing districts in 

 the far West have built up a considerable industry 

 in grinding alfalfa hay into the form of meal, which 

 is shipped in sacks and can be used the same as 

 bran as concentrated protein. Where the very best 

 quality of this is obtainable, its feeding value as a 

 concentrate is nearly, or quite, equal to that of 

 bran. In many of the semi-arid districts of the far 

 West dairying is depended upon in considerable de- 

 gree for the family income. In many of these 

 regions they do not raise much alfalfa or other 

 leguminous hay. Their forages consist of millet, 

 sorghum and corn fodder. Few, if any, have as yet 

 even thought of building silos, yet it is possible for 

 them to feed a fairly satisfactory dairy ration by 

 mixing with their carbonaceous forages liberal 

 proportions of oats, barley or other nitrogenous 

 grains. The great fault with a dairy ration of this 

 character is that it lacks succulence, and this qual- 

 ity in the feed is one of the prime requisites in the 

 most successful type of dairying. Silage furnishes 

 succulence along with its other desirable qualities. 

 Root crops also serve this purpose very well, but 

 should be finely chopped or sliced when fed to 



