1905. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
3i5 
A TALK ABOUT COW FEEDS. 
Value of Corn and Wheat Products. 
I have been interested in reading H. G. M.’s notes, 
especially some of his answers to questions in regard to 
feeding cows. On page 62 he says: “Bran is a good 
feed, but for cows giving much milk one could hardly 
afford at present prices to feed that alone, nor would 
I now or ever buy cornmeal to feed to cows to make 
milk at a profit. This is rather a strong statement, but 
I have seen more money wasted on cornmeal to feed 
milch cows than all other feeds combined. I like to 
feel I am getting the worth of my money when buying 
cattle feed, but should not do so if I bought cornmeal.” 
On page 103 he says: “Linseed meal is an extra good, 
healthy feed, but almost too high at pres¬ 
ent prices for economical feeding.” In a 
book published by the U. S. Department 
of Agriculture a number of years ago, en¬ 
titled “Special Report on Diseases of Cat¬ 
tle and Cattle Feeding,” the article on cat¬ 
tle feeding is by Prof. W. A. Henry, of 
Wisconsin Agricultural College. A table 
of feeding values made up as a result from 
the studies of chemists both in this coun¬ 
try and abroad and a table compiled by 
the German scientist, Dr. Emil Wolff, giv¬ 
ing the amount of digestible substances he 
considers necessary by our farm animals, 
is given. From the tables a ration (day’s 
feed I suppose is meant) is made up, 
which is: 14 pounds fodder corn; six 
pounds clover hay; five pounds roller 
bran; five pounds ground corn; two 
pounds cotton-seed meal, for 1,000-pound 
dairy cow. Of the different foods he 
says: “Indian corn is a most valuable 
food, and one of the cheapest used in the 
dairy, and the quality of milk and butter produced from 
it usually above question, but should be extended with 
something coarse, like bran if possible.” “Oil meal; 
this by-product of linseed oil factories is a most valu¬ 
able food in the dairy barn, though it should be used 
in limited quantities. It is especially useful for calves, 
and a couple of pounds a day may be fed to dairy cows 
with profit.” “Bran is one of the most valuable feeds 
in the dairy. It can be given in almost any quantity 
with little danger of overfeeding, and should always be 
in store to mix with ground grains.” I have mentioned 
these three feeds because H. G. M. and Prof. Henry 
hardly agree as to their value as dairy foods. A great 
many farmers, particularly those making butter, have 
thought that bran and cornmeal were the best grains 
for them to feed. Some fed cotton seed 
and others did not. On page 103, in 
further answer in regard to feeding lin¬ 
seed meal, he says: “It pays to keep a 
record of the milk yield tb find out 
whether changes in feeding really pay.” 
Sometimes I have not fed grain, and al¬ 
though I never kept account, I thought I 
had more money when I did not buy grain 
to feed cows than when I did. H. G. M. 
is a man of experience in dairying. Will 
he please give a day’s ration for butter 
cows with early-cut mixed hay for the 
rough fodder? w. e. r. 
New Hampshire. 
I like to get hold of this kind of letter, 
as there is a thinking man on the other 
end who wants the truth without chaff. I 
believe what I have written is true, and 
strictly advisable as a business proposi¬ 
tion to a man who wants to make good 
milk economically. What Prof. Henry 
has said is also true, but in a different 
way. In this section of the country most 
of the farmers buy their feed stuffs rather 
than raise them. What does a man buy 
feed for, or better, why does a man buy 
feed? He raises, or ought to, all the 
coarse feed such as hay, silage, corn fod¬ 
der, oat hay, etc., but these alone do not 
give sufficient milk, and to help out the 
dairyman goes to the miller. The coarse 
fodders he has raised have sufficient car¬ 
bohydrates and fat, but lack in protein, 
and though few men apparently realize it what he goes 
to miller for is digestible protein. Now it is more fun 
to get what you are after, and so we try to get healthy, 
palatable foods rich in protein to supply this lack, and 
make up a balanced ration. Cornmeal has lots of diges¬ 
tible carbohydrates and fat, but little protein, so why 
buy it when I can get others containing three to seven 
times as much for often the same or a little more money? 
That is the kernel of the question and that is why I 
oppose buying cornmeal. I believe in raising all possi¬ 
ble, and of course if we raised should feed it, but never 
buy it. Wheat bran is all right and unless accident hap¬ 
pens it invariably forms part of our ration, but it has 
been selling at $25 to $27 per ton, and this is out of 
proportion to its value as compared with some other 
feeds, and so should use it as little as possible. 
When it is $19 to $32 it is another proposition. At 
present half our grain ration is wheat feed, but we 
bought it at a figure so reasonable that we can well 
afford to use it. 
Oil meal is very rich in protein, but it retails here now 
at $1.75 per 100, and we can buy another healthy feed 
containing about the same amount of protein and carbo¬ 
hydrates, but more fat for $1.35 per 100, so economy 
makes us let oil meal alone for the present. When its 
price gets nearer even we can feed it. Prof. Henry’s 
views of feeding are sound, and his book, “Feeds and 
Feeding,” is our dairy gospel, and always at hand. In 
AN AVENUE OF NORWAY MAPLE. Fig. 131. 
his section, if we are not mistaken, wheat feeds are very 
cheap. Oil meal is also a home residue product, and 
he is near the corn belt, where corn is cheap. He is on 
the same plan practically that we are, using such feeds 
as are cheap near him. Here all by-products nearly can 
be obtained; a larger field from which to make an 
economical choice and we study economy; have to, in 
fact. 
It is possible where one has rich soil to cut hay early, 
then cut rowen early and sometimes get an extra cut 
of rowen. With this kind of feed in the barn one may 
almost turn the miller down, for early-cut hay and 
rowen will make milk. It comes not far from a bal¬ 
anced ration and consequently little grain is needed in 
addition to this fodder. 
The following is a well-balanced ration for milk: 
Protein. 
Carbohydrates. 
Fat. 
20 lbs. early cut hay.... 
. 1.18 
8.18 
.24 
3 lbs. wheat mixed feed 
. .42 
1.44 
.13 
3 lbs. gluten feed. 
. .71 
1.54 
.08 
2 lbs. hominy feed. 
. .14 
1.24 
.14 
Total . 
. 2.45 
12.40 
.59 
Another good ration with what mixed hay they will 
eat is two pounds bran, middlings or mixed feed, three 
pounds corn distillers’ grains and one pound cotton-seed 
meal. Another, four pounds bran and two pounds cot¬ 
ton seed. We have found two pounds each bran and 
corn distillers’ grains and one pound each cotton-seed 
meal and gluten feed to be a fine ration with good 
early-cut hay. h. g. Manchester. 
CARE OF MARE AND COLT. 
Methods of Practical Horsemen. 
How should a two-year-old colt be fed and cared for, and 
what would be a fair charge for boarding it? How should 
a mare be fed and cared for, a few weeks before foaling, 
and also after, and what would be a fair charge for same? 
A two-year-old colt should have from six to nine 
pounds of grain feed each day, the amount depending 
upon size and condition of colt. About half of this 
grain ration may be oats, the other half should be loose, 
coarse bran with a little oil meal mixed with it and fed 
dry. Feed the oats by themselves; give a bran mash 
once a week, plenty of mixed hay (don’t be afraid of 
clover), a box stall well bedded, and plenty of exercise 
in the paddock. His feet should be looked 
after frequently and trimmed down level 
about once in two months. About $8 per 
month for Winter and $3.50 or $4 per 
month for the six Summer months would 
be a fair price for boarding him. In my 
opinion a mare previous to foaling should 
be out in the sunshine just as much as 
possible; put her out every day that is 
dry and warm enough to be comfortable. 
Her feed may be the same as given the 
colt; give her enough to keep her in nice 
thriving condition, but not too fat. After 
foaling the ideal care is a pasture field 
with plenty of shade and water, but if she 
must be kept up give the same feed as 
before, but more of it; some ground corn 
may also be added with good results. If 
their bran mash is mixed with about half 
a bushel of finely-cut hay they will appre¬ 
ciate it very much; $10 per month for 
Winter and $5 per month for the six 
pasture months would, I think, be a fair 
price for boarding her. The care of the colt for the first 
year? That's a story by itself, and you did not ask for 
that. CHARLES J. WOLFE. 
Pennsylvania. 
A brood mare should have from four to six quarts of 
grain, and what hay she will eat up clean with water at 
least twice daily. The best grain is oats and bran, 
equal parts, with tablespoonful of oil meal with each 
feed. The best hay is rather fine mixed hay cut early. 
As soon as the colt is weaned it should have all the 
grain it will eat clean, and also what hay it will clean 
up; same kind of grain and hay as brood mare, except 
that I would prefer the oats ground the first Winter for 
the colt. Some colts will eat six to eight quarts of 
this mixture daily. The second Winter the colt should 
have same treatment; after that enough 
grain to keep in good growing thrifty 
condition. At present price of grain one 
cannot afford to keep a brood mare for 
less than $60 per year; it costs fully as 
much to keep a colt the first two years 
as it does a brood mare. All the differ¬ 
ence I would make in feeding before and 
after foaling would be to increase feed if 
colt seemed to call for more milk. A 
mare should be closely watched at foaling 
time, or loss of colt is liable to occur. 
Vermont. c. A. chapman. 
PROFIT IN MULE COLTS. 
In my opinion it is more preferable to 
breed mule colts than horse colts. In the 
first place, two mule colts can be raised 
ready for the market for what one horse 
colt would cost. This fact alone is great¬ 
ly in favor of mule colts, for after all it is 
the prime object of all investments. 
When mule colts are ready for the mar¬ 
ket they are worth more money than 
horse colts, and can do work which horses 
can do only to a great disadvantage. 
Mules find a ready market, and even when 
horses are dull it is no trouble to sell 
them. Mule colts require much less at¬ 
tention, as they are not nearly so liable 
to diseases and blemishes. They are much 
more active and nimble, and thereby sel¬ 
dom meet with accidents, which is a point 
worth considering. Any horseman knows 
that the loss ratio of horse colts by accidents and dis¬ 
eases is by no means small, and should require consid¬ 
eration. Again, there are few farmers who are veter¬ 
inary surgeons, and all horse dealers know what it 
means to employ veterinaries. There are many little 
items of cost which when totaled amount to quite a 
little sum, and must be considered in figuring profit and 
loss. Hence, I believe your readers will grasp the point, 
and readily see the advantages of raising mule colts. 
The old adage that “the nearest way to a man’s heart 
is through his pocketbook,” is true in this instance, and 
I would advise all stock dealers to raise mule in prefer¬ 
ence to horse colts if profit is to be considered. 
Pennsylvania. d. R. coffman. 
ENGLISH GREENHOUSE CUCUMBER OUTSIDE. Fig. 132. 
