246 THE MANAGEMENT AND FEEDING OF CATTLE 



has been completed until the pastures begin to fail, 

 either through shortage or lack of succulence. But 

 should the prospective supply of grazing be short of 

 the needs of the cows, continue to feed grain, but in as 

 small amounts as, say, 2 to 4 pounds daily, and when 

 the feeding of ensilage is continued, the grain should be 

 fed on the ensilage. Corn meal and wheat bran or corn 

 and cottonseed meal make a very suitable grain food, 

 less corn being fed when the grasses proper are grazed 

 and more when the clovers are grazed. It is probably 

 never advantageous to feed large quantities of grain to 

 cows in milk on pasture, because of its relative dearness. 

 If grain is not fed when grass is flush it will usually 

 be necessary in the northern states to begin feeding it 

 again, say, in September, or later, according to the 

 season. 



Soiling food for cows. — Soiling food means any 

 green food grown for cows to be cut and fed to them 

 in the green form. It should be made to supplement 

 the pastures as soon as they fail to furnish plentiful 

 supplies of food, and also when they lose their suc- 

 culence, even though still plentiful. Pastures may be 

 abundant and yet not suited to abundant milk produc- 

 tion because of lack of succulence. Such is the condi- 

 tion of bluegrass pastures in dry summers at that season 

 of the summer wTien these cease to grow and of native 

 prairie pastures as summer vi'anes. The soiling food is 

 intended to furnish the element of succulence required 

 for milk production as well as the elements of mainte- 

 nance and production. In some instances the feeding of 

 soiling foods is continued through the entire season of 

 grazing, but more commonly only onward from the time 

 that the grasses lose their succulence. 



Soiling foods are valuable in proportion, first, as 

 they are palatable ; second, as they are abundant in 

 growth, and also nutritious ; third, to the feeding period 

 during which they remain succulent; and, fourth, as they 



