ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. HI 



of the dairy section. That does not hold good in all sections though. 

 There is a great deal of that feeling just now along that line, but it is all 

 wrong; a man cannot make any profit without feeding the cow. The 

 better he feeds her, the more of the properly well-balanced food he puts 

 through the cow, the more profit he will get out of it. 



Along this line of foods question let me say that a great many 

 mistakes are in not securing a palatable food. For instance, take our hay 

 crop — our clover hay. A large majority let it become too ripe before cut- 

 ting it. It becomes woody and is not palatable nor digestible. The cow 

 doesn't consume so much of it and the profit is reduced to a marked degree. 



There are many mistakes made in feeding unsound food. I have had 

 trouble through feeding mouldy hay. I have had trouble with feeding 

 mouldy corn fodder that was put into the barn and into the mow witTE 

 sufficient moisture as to mould. I have known of some serious losses 

 in the dairy section of Northern Illinois coming from that source. Mouldy 

 sileage, which comes from being too long exposed, exposing too much 

 surface at a time for the number of cows being fed, is one of the greatest. 

 and I think the greatest stumbling block in the whole field of ensilage 

 feeding. In many casies the silos are made too large for the number^of 

 cattle to be fed from them. A safe rule is 6 square feet per animal; 8 

 square feet should be the limit. By commencing on top and skimming 

 over the top with a thin layer, and go over frequently, you will obviate 

 that trouble entirely. 



A mistake that is frequently m ade with cows is permitting them to 

 drink impure water. Cows should never be allowed to drink from any 

 stagnant water, and especially they should not be allowed ever to drink 

 where they can wade into the water and stand. There is sure to be drop- 

 pings that will contaminate the water. In many cases this happens sim- 

 ply from thoughtlessness, but it Is a great damage. We frequently see 

 pictures of a herd of cattle standing in the water, may be within four, 

 five or six rods from the house. It is nice to look at, till you realize 

 what it means; damage for the cow and various other things. We are 

 not going to make good milk from that kind of a cow. We will not have 

 cheese or butter that will keep. It will go off -flavor to say the least. 



Now we will take up the stable question for a few minutes. Cow sta- 

 bles should be made so that the co ws are lined up on the guter. Most 



