FIFTY-FIRST ANNUAL CONVENTION 31 



But really, gentlemen, all over the United States and 

 up in Canada, I have seen the majority of people feed their 

 cows in the winter and starve them in the spring; feed them 

 in the summer and starve them in the fall. Ninety-nine per 

 cent of the cows in the United States are so busy getting in 

 and out of condition that they do not have time to produce 

 butter fat. If the summers were long enough, they would 

 all starve to death. You will not find many cows through- 

 out the United States that get enough to eat during the 

 summer months. We are the most wonderful people in the 

 world for feeding during the winter time. 



We are approaching that season now when ninety per 

 cent are going to make the worst mistake — when we reach 

 the first day of May, that is a sign for the cows to go to 

 grass. It makes no difference whether there is any pasture 

 or not. It is May 1st according to the calendar and they 

 have got to go. And when the cows go to pasture, that is 

 a sign we are not going to give them any more feed until 

 we put them in the barn again. 



I venture to say that this is the great reason for low 

 production : poor cows and poor pastures. 



We turn them out with little grass, with no feed value, 

 and the cows are just stimulated by the grass and begin 

 producing heavy. This makes us feel fine for a while. But 

 the cows are losing weight and the process of starvation is 

 started. We are satisfied and do not pay much attention. 



We find that the cow has cropped the grass down and 

 eaten three or four times the grass that she needs or would 

 eat and she gives us a lot of milk. From that time on to the 

 fall, her output steadily declines. 



If we would only keep our cows in the barn for a cou- 

 ple of weeks longer. Keep your cows in until the grass 

 gets nearly knee high. Don't pay any attention to the cal- 

 endar. Look at your pasture, watch it closely and deter- 

 mine when it is ripe enough to turn your cows out. 



I expect that your cows, after they get grass, won't 

 eat very much silage or hay or feed, but it is a mighty good 

 plan to feed them a little. Don't think just because your 

 cows are out on pasture, whether there is grass there or not, 



