Feeding Dairy Cattle 



pounds of total digestible nutrients in one ton (2000 pounds) 

 of gluten feed. Therefore when we buy a ton of gluten 

 feed for $33.50, as quoted below, we pay the $33.50 for the 

 1614 pounds of digestible material in the ton. One hundred 

 pounds of total digestible material in gluten feed would cost 

 $2.08. In this way the cost of digestible material in all feeds 

 mav be calculated and the results used as a basis in the 

 selection of the crops that shall be grown for roughage and 

 in the selection of the supplements that must be purchased. 

 Such a table is worked out below as the basis for the selec- 

 tion of the proper feeds to purchase at the present time to go 

 into a ration. 



In all rations for dair}- cattle there must be sufficient 

 protein. In the ordinary roughages grown on the farm and 

 in the grains grown on the farm there has been a lack of 

 protein, so the second thing to be considered in. the pur- 

 chase of feeds is the amount of protein in each. To make 

 this a matter of easy consideration the feeds listed below are 

 divided into high protein, medium protein and low protein 

 groups. How to make use of this grouping will be explained 

 later. 



As for roughage all that need be said is that on the basis 

 of the cost of digestible nutrients alone the roughage that 

 all dairymen must grow is corn silage. In no other crop can 

 so much be obtained for one dollar as in corn silage. Next 

 in importance is the growing of legume hays. The possess- 

 ion of a sufficient quantity of good corn silage and of good 

 clover or alfalfa hay gives us the finest kind of a start in the 

 selection of the feeds that shall make up the ration. No 

 farmer can afford to be without these roughages. 



Now to make this lesson definite we will proceed to the 

 selection of the concentrates which we would choose to make 

 a mixture to supplement good clover hay and corn silage in 

 a ration. Below as a starting point is given a table of the 

 feeds commonly listed by feed dealers, arranged according 

 to high, medium and low protein content. 



The figures in the last column are obtained by dividing 

 the cost per ton by the total digestible nutrients in one ton 

 of each feed and multiplying the result bv 100. It is this 

 column and the amount of protein in each feed which guide 

 us in the proper selection of the feeds. This is the proper 

 starting place. This knowledge must be supplemented by a 

 thorough knowledge of the peculiar usefulness of each feed 

 in milk production. 



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