62 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



addition to the well-known fact that the skeleton is com- 

 posed largely of mineral matter. 



As I pointed out this morning, common salt is the min- 

 eral constituent that should always be supplied in dairy 

 rations, and it should also practically always be supplied 

 in feeding other classes of livestock, except in very lim- 

 ited districts such as in certain types of alkali sections of 

 the west, where the soil and plants contain unusually large 

 amounts of common salt or sodium chloride. 



It was Dr. Babcock many years ago, working with 

 Professor Carlisle, who carried on the first plan, demon- 

 stration, of the dependence of dairy cows on an adequate 

 supply of salt. Dr. Babcock fed a good dairy cow a ration 

 that was ade(|«ftate except that it had no salt excepting the 

 amount contained in the food materials. No salt was 

 added to the ration. The cows got along for a time, al- 

 though they appeared hungry for salt, but in a few more 

 months they showed they were approaching nutriential 

 disaster, and when salt was supplied in proper amount the 

 cows never showed any indications of this trouble, so a 

 proper amount of salt is essential for dairy cows. 



As I mentioned this morning, it is a good plan to mix 

 in one-half pound or one pound of salt in every one hun- 

 dred pounds of concentrate or green mixture. I believe it 

 is a good plan to supply salt in addition, in the form of a 

 salt box or brick, so that the cows will take what they 

 want. If the salt is supplied regularly they will not take 

 an excess. The amount of salt which livestock require dif- 

 fers in amount as does the quantity which human beings 

 consume. It happens that I like more salt than my wife 

 does, but it is always an easy matter to add a little salt to 

 the food if it does not contain salt to the taste. I think 

 perhaps livestock differ somewhat in their likings for salt, 

 so I think it is safe to let livestock have what salt they 

 wish. In the case of dairy cows I believe it is a good plan 

 to increase the quantity so cows will be sure to get the 

 amounts I have mentioned, keeping the amounts in the 

 concentrate quantities as I have suggested and adding the 

 additional amount in a way that will enable them to get 

 what they need. 



