Feeding Dairy Cattle 



She must be fed alfalfa hay or clover hay if she is 

 going through two or three hard lactations. She must have 

 good corn silage. She must have table beets or mangels. 

 As a suggested grain mixture to be used as a test ration, the 

 following is used by one of the best feeders and breeders of 

 Holstein-Friesian cattle : 



300 pounds distillers' dried grains 



100 pounds oil meal 



100 pounds hominy 



100 pounds cottonseed meal 



100 pounds ground oats 



100-200 pounds wheat bran 



100-200 pounds gluten feed 



Such a mixture with alfalfa hay would give an abundance 

 of protein. It may be modified in a hundred ways, but is 

 efficient as it stands. 



If handled and fed as suggested, to the limit of her appe- 

 tite, a cow should produce heavily. She must be watched 

 carefully and kept hungry. Alfalfa hay, silage, mangels and 

 grain form the basis of the ration at all times of the year, 

 but advantage may be taken of pasture, if exposure to bad 

 weather is not allowed and the cow is pastured only when 

 flies do not plague. She must be pampered and protected 

 and watched. Care will be rewarded. Cows that are worth 

 while are entitled to all they will eat all the time. 



XVin. Summer Rations for Semi-Official Cows 



THERE is not much difiference between the summer 

 rations for semi-official cows and the rations fed at 

 at other times of year. The principles are the same, 

 plenty of succulent feed and a good grain ration. The cows 

 that have made the best semi-official records have not 

 depended very much on pasture, although many of them have 

 been allowed some pasture. Pasture is undoubtedly ideal 

 so far as the feed is concerned. The drawbacks are many, 

 however. The cow must spend much energy in getting her 

 feed and in making a high semi-official record; she has not 

 the energy to spare for this extra work. Second, if she must 

 depend much on pasture, she is exposed to all kinds of 

 weather. This is not good for her. She must not be chilled. 

 Third, and worst of all, if she goes to pasture in the day-time, 

 she is open to the attack of flies. There seems to be no fly 

 remedy on the market as yet that is completely a repellant. 

 They will keep them off for a while but their effect will not 

 last for the full day. 

 Page Eighty-five 



