ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION, 59 



Most dairymen cut their hay too late, or when too much 

 matured to make the most palatable food, and to secure the best 

 profit from feeding the cows, hay should be made when the 

 grass is in full blossom. I have never been able to overcome 

 the mistake of cutting hay too late. An increase of ground 

 feed does not accomplish it, but at the same time it adds to the 

 cost of food in most sections of the west. 



Corn for silage should be cut between the denting and glazing 

 stage. I am confident that it then contains the most available 

 or digestible nutriment. I like to have it as far matured as we 

 can and have the cows digest the whole grain in the silage, and I 

 think there should be a plenty of this grain or corn in the silage. 

 I now plant less than one half as much seed per acre as I did 

 ten or twelve years ago. In this way I do not secure as much 

 food per acre of corn, but I do believe I secure more profit per 

 acre when it is fed to the cows. 



I am an advocate of warming the drinking water for cows in 

 cold weather. I have practiced it for several years. I am sure • 

 it pays. It increases the profit and decreases the risk from sick- 

 ness. A cow can safely drink all the water she wants at all 

 times when the water is at a temperature of eighty degrees 

 Fahrenheit or above. 



For many years my practice has been to have my cows drop 

 their calves in September to December. 



I think the advantages of winter dairying over summer work 

 are not as great as they were several years ago, and still I think 

 it advisable to have the cows fresh in the autumn months in place 

 of the spring months. The cows will produce more milk during 

 the year. They will give milk a longer period when they are 

 dried off on pasture than they will when dried on winter feed. 

 Winter dairying helps to equalize the farm work. We can keep 

 the help all the year and secure a better class of help by giving 

 employment the whole year. This is a matter of no small im- 

 portance. 



When my cows are dried off on pasture without any grain 

 food I have very seldom had any milk fever, but when I feed 



