1330 
3'H li RURAL MEW-YORKER 
December 13 , 
FEEDING PROBLEMS. 
Under this heading we endeavor to give ad¬ 
vice and suggestions about feeding mixtures of 
grains and fodders. No definite rules are given, 
but the advice is based upon experience and 
average analyses of foods. By "protein” is 
meant the elements in the food which go to 
make muscle or lean meat. “Carbohydrates” 
comprise the starch, sugar, etc., which make 
fat and provide fuel for the body, while “fat” 
is the pure oil found in foods. "Dry matter” 
moans the weight of actual food left in fodder 
or grain when all the water is driven off. A 
“narrow ration” means one in which the pro¬ 
portion of protein to carbohydrates is close—a 
"wide” ration means one which shows a larger 
proportion of carbohydrates. 
COST OF COW FEED; A RATION. 
I am feeding a herd of 2S cows, averag¬ 
ing about 7,700 pounds per cow, a mix¬ 
ture of 400 pounds corn and cob meal, 
300 pounds ground oats, and 100 pounds 
cotton-seed meal. This is fed at the rate 
of three pounds to ten pounds of milk. 
I figure that this will cost for a 7.000- 
pound cow, milking 10 months, $31.50 
for feed, $22.50 for clover hay—figuring 
10 pounds a day—and $10 for corn fod¬ 
der, which is fed in the middle of the day ; 
hay being given night and morning. I 
think an average of $30 per ton for feed 
is fair, year in and year out. The re¬ 
mainder of the year the cattle are allowed 
pasture, and pasture only. Can you sug¬ 
gest any cheaper method by which I can 
feed these cows? I see very few balanced 
rations in any of the papers on farming, 
in which the ingredients can be raised on 
the average dairy farm. It seems to me 
each section should use a ration that 
could be raised on the farm. This would 
encourage the farmer to raise all the feed 
for his own cattle, and also save much 
hauling from the railroad station, as the 
mill is usually much nearer. 
Although milk can be produced at a 
profit at the present price in this section, 
Orange County, it is very close figuring, 
and compared with most manufacturing 
businesses—size considered — it brings 
small returns. Supporting a small pro¬ 
ducing cow is ruinous. A herd should 
average 7,000 pounds or better, and it is 
up to the farmer to see that they do. 
The figures above quoted, of course, do 
not take into consideration interest, tax¬ 
es, labor or depreciation. I would like 
your opinion on what should be the cost 
of feeding a 7,000-pound cow. Many of 
the pamphlets and books written a few 
years ago estimate the cost from $35 to 
$45. These figures seem to me impossible 
now in the East for an animal producing 
the above quantity of milk. L. T. 
Orange Co., N. Y. 
If I were to criticize your ration, I 
would say that it is a trifle too wide. 
If you use 300 pounds of cotton-seed meal 
instead of 100 pounds your ration will 
conform with the accepted standard. But 
this suggestion only touches the surface 
of the subject. If I could give the solu¬ 
tion of the problem here presented I 
would certainly be entitled to the ever¬ 
lasting gratitude of dairymen. 
Nearly all the concentrates now used 
are by-products in the manufacture of 
s®me other article. It would be a great 
economic waste if this source of food were 
not utilized, and of course the bulk of it 
will always be used for feeding domestic 
animals. But the relation of supply to 
demand, and the expenses incident to 
handling, bring the prices of these by¬ 
products up to a point where the feeder 
must do some close figuring if he makes 
a profit. 
If we are to raise our own protein, then 
we must look to some of the plants pro¬ 
ducing grain or forage rich in protein. 
One of the greatest of these is undoubt¬ 
edly Alfalfa, yet not all of us succeed in 
growing it, even though the experts tell 
us it will grow anywhere when the condi¬ 
tions are made right. On the Genesee 
River flats Alfalfa seems to succeed very 
readily; here on the hills, ever so short 
a distance away, no one has had com¬ 
plete success. However, * I think that 
eventually we shall hit on the right meth¬ 
od. Then there is the Soy bean, whose 
seed and stalks are both very rich in pro¬ 
tein. But unfortunately that has its dif¬ 
ficulties, too. I have tried the Medium 
Green Soy with silage corn for the last 
two years, but all the woodchucks in the 
surrounding fields moved into the corn¬ 
field and cleaned out most of the beans. 
The Medium Green Soy does not seem to 
yield heavily of seed, but I shall try some 
of the other varieties. 
But there is another way to attack the 
problem. It will require two men, at 
least, to care for and milk a herd of 20 
cows, yet these men can easily do more 
than attend to the crops necessary to feed 
the cows, especially when the cows are 
on pasture. The returns from a few 
acres of beans, potatoes or some other 
crop will in many cases buy more protein, 
and in a better form, than could be raised 
on the same ground. Besides, the fer¬ 
tility purchased in mill feeds and returned 
to the soil is greater than that taken 
away by the cash crop. In this section 
potatoes and dairying seem to fit in well 
together, and in most cases neither can 
be said to be a side line nor a specialty. 
The usual rotation is potatoes, or corn, 
oats and clover, and as there is consider¬ 
able rough pasture land, cows very natu¬ 
rally are used to consume the crops other 
than potatoes. The usual yield of po¬ 
tatoes is 200 to 300 bushels per acre, and 
with a fair price makes a good return. 
It is my opinion that diversified farming, 
rather than exclusive dairying, is the hope 
of the average dairyman. We must devise 
rotations and crop systems which will do 
as much as possible to provide for the 
wants of the cow, but which will also give 
an additional source of income. As to 
feeding a 7.000-pound cow on $35 to $45 
a year, I don’t see how it can be done at 
present prices. If it can, I should like to 
have someone show me. C. L. M. 
Grain Ration for Milch Cows 
Will you give me a grain ration for 
my Holstein cow? I have silage, corn¬ 
stalks (dry) mixed hay, (Red-top and 
Timothy) quality sufficient for one feed¬ 
ing per day, gluten, costs $31 per ton, 
wheat bran $28, dried brewers’ grains 
$29, wheat middlings $30.50, buckwheat 
middlings $26, rye middlings $27, the 
last two at our country mill, and heavy, 
not ground as closely as Western feeds. 
Do you advise feeding molasses? 
New York. j. r. m. 
A mixture of four pounds buckwheat 
middlings, three pounds dried brewers’ 
grains and one pound wheat middlings 
should give good results, in connection 
with the roughage you have. A proper 
amount will be one pound of grain to 
three or four pounds of milk. c. L. M. 
Dairy Ration. 
The feed that we can get here the 
cheapest, with prices, is given below. 
Will you suggest a balanced ration? I am 
feeding corn silage. Dried brewers’ grains, 
per 100, $1.40; gluten, $1.55; commer¬ 
cial feed, $1.35; buckwheat middlings, 
$1.80; wheat bran. $1.35; standard mid¬ 
dlings, $1.55. The commercial dairy 
feed is a mixture of ground grain, malt 
sprouts and molasses, and stands 16 per 
cent in protein. b. ir. 
Wappinger Falls, N. Y. 
If you are feeding dairy cows for milk 
production you can make a very good- 
balanced ration to feed with silage by mix¬ 
ing your available feeds in the following 
proportions: Four pounds dried brewers’ 
grains; two pounds gluten feed; two 
pounds wheat bran; two pounds buck¬ 
wheat middlings. You will not require 
molasses feeds with silage, as you have 
plenty of succulence at a lower figure. 
If you had a little good, early-cut mixed 
or clover hay, so you could give a small 
feed at noon you would improve the ra¬ 
tion. Do not go by any rule in regard 
to the amount you feed each cow, but 
feed according to her condition and the 
amount of milk she is giving. c. S. G. 
BUFFALO MARKETS. 
The Thanksgiving season was precedec\ 
by such warm weather that the poultry 
trade was a great disappointment. Deal¬ 
ers were afraid to buy and did not dare 
to hold anything for high prices. Even 
then the city authorities seized tainted 
turkeys by the ton. Prices to consumers 
were about 25 cents for turkeys, 23 cents 
for ducks and 20 cents for chickens. 
Eggs are not generally above 50 cents for 
fresh. There arc good storage eggs offer¬ 
ing at. 30 cents. The range of butter 
prices is wide. Some dealers do not ask 
more than 36 cents while others get above 
40 cents. Butter is plenty and eggs are 
less scarce than formerly. 
As a rule other produce is higher, with 
sweet potatoes and foreign fruits cheaper. 
Sweet potatoes can be had at less than 
$1 a bushel, while white potatoes retail 
as high as $1.20. Apples are scarce, good 
greenings retailing at $1.40 a bushel. 
There are some Western apples in. 
Wealthy from Montana selling at two 
cents apiecec by small measure. Quinces 
are rather scarce at 65 cents a third 
bushel basket for seconds. One reason 
for scarcity of produce is that the roads 
are not good, there being at last rains 
enough to wet the ground thoroughly. 
Buffalo now has hard roads in all direc¬ 
tions, (hough side roads are as soft as 
ever. Winter squashes are now of better 
quality, retailing as low as two cents a 
pound. There are radishes in plenty at 
two bunches for five cents. Celery, five 
and 10 cents for small bunches; lettuce, 
two to three small heads for 10 cents; 
endive, which has not yet become com¬ 
mon, is 25 cents a pound, too high to 
compete with lettuce. Cabbage ’ grows 
scarcer and higher, five cents a head or 
more. There is plenty of cauliflower at 
75 cents a bushel to retailers. Brussels 
sprouts, retailing at not less than 15 cents 
a quart. Turnips are plenty at 75 to 90 
cents a barrel to retailers. The quality 
is better than it was last year. There is 
a demand for pumpkins that is seldom 
met, the few on market being small and 
often poor. Good-sized ones retail at 15 
cents. There is a good demand for onions, 
with the supply no longer so great as last 
year. Prices are $1.25 per bushel to re¬ 
tailers, with Spanish $1.25 per crate. 
J. w. c. 
V 
J 
jjSSC- 
EH 
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ITT}? 
Jr, 
m 
Your Cows, Horses and 
Hogs are olf Pasture Now 
DR - GILBERT HESS, 
——* 19 j . Vy ft | Doctor of Veterinary Science 
Doctor of Medicine 
One of the most crifical times of the year for your stock is when you change them 
from pasture to dry feed, because grain, hay and fodder do not contain the laxative 
so abundantly supplied by grass. Just now they are also deprived of exercise. 
That’s why so many animals get run down during winter and spring. All kinds of 
trouble are apt to start with stall feeding. Constipation, dropsical swelling, stocky 
legs and, most of all, your hogs are liable to become infested with worms. 
Dr. Hess Stock Tonic 
Makes Stock Healthy—Expels Worms 
Being both a doctor of medicine and a doctor of veterinary science I have formulated 
Dr. Hess Stock Tonic to correct the evils that invariably arise from dry feeding. It con¬ 
tains a laxative substitute for grass, diuretics to remove dropsical swellings, tonics to im¬ 
prove appetite and increase digestion and vermifuges that will positively expel worms. 
Remember, it’s the cow in the pink of condition that fills the milk pail, the steer with 
an appetite tlirt lays on fat, the horse that digests his dinner that pulls on the bit, the 
hog that is well and free from worms that gets to be a 200-poundcr in six months. 
I’ve authorized your dealer to supply you with enough Dr. Hess Stock Tonic for 
your stock, and if it does not do everything I claim, return the empty packages and 
get your money back. 
Dr. Hess Stock Tonic is never sold by peddlers—I save you peddler’s salary and wagon 
and team expenses, as these prices prove: 25-lb. pail il.LO; 100-lb. sack $5.00. 
Smaller packages as low as 50c, except in Canada, the far West and the South. Send 
for my new 32-page stock book—it’s a stunner and it’s free. 
DR® HESS & CLARK, Ashland, Ohio 
Dr. Iless PoulUry Pan-a-cc-a 
A splendid tonic that tones up the dormant 
egg organs and keeps the hens scratching 
and happy and laying ait through the winter. 
Shortens moulting period and promotes 
rapid feather growth. Nothing better to 
make chicks strong and healthy. Cheap—a 
penny’s worth is enough to feed 30 fowl per 
day. Sold only by dealers whom you know. 
Never sold by peddlers, li lbs. 25c; 5 lbs. 
60c; 25-Ib. pail $2.50. Except In Canada and 
the far West. Guaranteed. 
Dr. Hess 
Instant Louse Killer 
K’Us lice on poultry and all farm stock. 
1 ;st the hens and chicks with it, sprinkle it 
on the roosts, in the cracks or, if kept in the 
dust bath, the hens will distribute it. Also 
destroys bugs on cucumber, squash and 
melon vines, cabbage worms, etc., slugs on 
rosebushes, etc. Comes in handy sifting-top 
cans, t lb. 25c, 3 lbs. 60c. Except In Canada 
and the far West. I guarantee it. 
EXCELSIOR SWING STANCHION 
30 Days’ Trial—Stationary When OrEN 
NOISELESS SIMPLE SANITARY DURABLE 
Tlie Wasson Stanchion Co., 
Box GO, Cuba. N. V. 
ICOBEKTSOiV’S CHAIN 
HANGING STANCHIONS 
U 1 have used them for more 
than TWENTY YEARS, and they 
have Riven the very best of aatia- 
faction in every way,” writes 
Justus II. Cooley, M.D., Plainfield 
Sanitarium, Plainfield, N. J. 
Thirty days’ trial on application 
O. II. ROBERTSON’ 
Wash. St., Forcstville® Conn. 
Foster Steel And Wood 
STANCHIONS 
• Increase Your Dairy Profit 
Makes cows comfortable. Save time 
in stabling ami cleaning. Easy to 
operate : cow proof ; sanitary ; 
strong, and durable. 
Wi'ite for our prices and illus¬ 
trated catalogue before buying. 
FOSTER STEEL STANCHION CO. 
90 C Insurance itldg.. Rochester, N. Y. 
CRUMB'S 
IMPROVED 
WARRINCR 
• STANCHION 
Send for my booklet 
and learn why these fas¬ 
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in the stables of many 
PUBLIC 
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WALLACE JL CliUilB, Box SI 1, Eorcstvlllc, Conn. 
T YOUR IDEAS 
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CHANDLEE & CHANDLEE, PatentAtt’yi 
Established 16 Years 
022 F. Street, Washington, D. C. 
Takes Heavy Lifts Out of Butchering 
One man can easily swing up a 
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Enables one man to change wagon boxes, 
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No. 3 (illustrated)—Capacity one ton, $2.75. 
One of a dozen sizes, 400 pounds to 4 tons. 
See your hardware dealer or write today 
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HALL MFG. COMPANY 
552 Cedar Street, Monticello, Iowa 
