FOOD FOR MILCH COWS IN SUMMER 249 



than other crops, hence there is wisdom in growing more 

 or less of such crops every season. It may be possible 

 to obtain a full yield of corn, for instance, in a season 

 so dry that the yield obtained from peas and oats grown 

 together would be very light. 



There are some soiling foods not enumerated in the 

 list given above, the value of which is in a sense prob- 

 lematical. These include rape, the tops of field roots 

 and the leaves of cabbage, after the heads have been 

 removed. They are eminently suited to the produc- 

 tion of milk, but to feeding them there is the objection 

 that when fed in large quantities they faint the milk. 

 This is less true of cabbage, but should the cows be 

 allowed to graze where the cabbage grew, the consump- 

 tion of partially decayed leaves may result in an unde- 

 sirable flavor in the milk. Such foods may be fed in 

 limited amounts if fed as soiling food rather than as 

 pasture, and given after the milk has been taken from 

 the cows. In a small dairy, or by the householder with 

 but one cow, these foods may be best utilized. The labor 

 of handling them is too much relatively to encourage 

 feeding them extensively. 



The importance of growing soiling food by the dairy- 

 man cannot be easily over-estimated. When it is abun- 

 dantly present, it is not usually absolutely necessary 

 to feed grain, although grain may be fed at the same 

 time with advantage, in some instances, in order to bal- 

 ance what may be lacking in the soiling food. For in- 

 stance, should corn or corn ensilage be fed with grass, 

 it may be advantageous to add to the protein in the food 

 by feeding wheat bran. As a rule, it can be provided 

 by the dairyman much more cheaply than grain, es- 

 pecially by those who are not entirely dependent on 

 outside labor. 



Ensilage for summer feeding. — The feeding of en- 

 silage as soiling food is growing rapidly in favor. It 

 has been found well suited to the needs of the stock. 



