FEEDING DAIRY CATTLE 217 



and the price obtained for her products. Some have suggested 

 the feeding of as many pounds of grain per day as the cow 

 produces pounds of butter-fat per week. In determining the 

 amount and kind of grain it is necessary to take into account 

 the forage that is to go with it. For example, in many dairies 

 it is felt that bran may be replaced ton for ton by carefully 

 cured alfalfa hay, or by five tons of pea-vine silage when not 

 too succulent. 



Dry forage. — The mbre common dry forage crops fed to 

 dairy cattle are clover, alfalfa, or mixed hays and corn stalks. 

 Occasionally pure timothy hay is fed, though this is not to be 

 recommended, particularly if cut late. Straws of the various 

 small grains are also used, but they are even more worthless as 

 a dairy cow feed than is timothy hay. Hay cut early is more 

 valuable ton for ton, though the yield obtained per acre will 

 not be so great. It is preferable to feed the hay long, if 

 fed in connection with silage. The exact amount of dry 

 forage that should be fed cannot be stated, as it will depend 

 on the amount of grain and whether or not silage is being 

 used. Let the rule be to feed all the hay the animal will eat 

 with relish. 



Succulent feeds. — ■ Some kind of succulent food should be 

 fed the dairy cow during her entire lactation period. The 

 common succulent foods used in feeding dairy cattle are silage, 

 roots, or tubers. Silage is preferable, but if the herd is not 

 large enough to warrant the construction of a silo, roots make 

 a good substitute. The amount of succulence it is profitable 

 to feed will depend much on the attendant conditions. Thirty 

 to forty pounds serve most conditions. If the supply is limited, 

 it is perhaps best to make it last throughout the winter period ; 

 that is to say, if one has enough succulent food to feed twenty 

 pounds throughout the season or forty pounds for half the 

 season, it would be preferable to feed the twenty throughout 

 the season. This again might be modified by conditions ; for 



