1304 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
August 7, 1920 
Simple and 
Sanitary 
Teat-cups 
The simplicity of con¬ 
struction of the De Laval 
teat-cups is plainly shown 
in the illustration. They 
are easily taken apart and 
puttogether, and very easy to clean and keepclean. 
The rubber lining is simply a straight piece of 
rubber tubing. It is small enough to fit the 
smallest teat and is held in the metal casing, which 
is large enough to fit the largest teat. Hence the 
De Laval teat-cups are self-adjusting. They are 
made in only one size, which fits all teats. 
The liner is made of pure rubber, scientifically 
correct in construction and design, producing a 
massaging action on the teat between suction 
periods. 
A flexible rubber mouthpiece is formed by the 
top of the liner in such a way that no metal 
touches the teat. 
The De Laval Milker i9 faster, more eco¬ 
nomical and more reliable than any other method 
of milking. The sanitary features are of special 
importance. It is quickly and easily cleaned, and 
is used by many dairies in A. R. O. work and 
where certified milk is produced. 
An additional insurance of lasting satisfaction 
to users of De Laval Milkers lies in the De Laval 
Company’s well-known facilities and reputation 
for service. 
Write to nearest De Laval office for Milker Catalog 
mentioning number of cows milked 
THE DE LAVAL SEPARATOR CO. 
29 East Madison Street 
CHICAGO 
165 Broadway 
NEW YORK 
61 Beale Street 
SAN FRANCISCO 
Live Stock Matters 
Conducted By Prof. F. C. Minkler 
Soy Beans for Breeding Stock 
What has Prof. Minkler. or other ex¬ 
perts, to say to the report that Soy 
beans are a dangerous feed for breeding 
animals? J. L. P. 
New York. 
Any concentrated feed carrying a gen¬ 
erous amount of protein should be denied 
breeding animals. Especially is this true 
of such products as Soy bean meal and 
cottonseed meal that possess toxic proper¬ 
ties which derange the system if fed in 
large quantities. This does not imply 
that it is not possible to include some high 
protein-carrying feeds in the ration for 
animals in young during the later stages, 
but the thing to avoid is feeding them too 
generously of any one or two of these 
concentrated feeds. There was a common 
belief that prevailed a number of years 
ago that the feeding of cottonseed meal 
would result in abortion in case it was 
supplied to breeding animals. This theory 
has long since been abandoned, and the 
practice now is to feed such animals oats, 
bran, oilmeal and cornmeal during the 
latter stages, and avoid the evil results 
that might follow in case they were over¬ 
fed with the highly concentrated protein 
carriers. Soy bean meal in itself is not 
particularly palatable, and it is necessary 
that it be supplemented with such bulky 
feeds as oats and bran if the tv?st results 
are to be obtained. 
Feeding and Care of Brood Sow 
1. Can you give me directions on the 
care of a brood sow due* to farrow in 
September? What would be a good ration 
to feed? I have corn, oats, barley and 
beans. At what age should young pigs 
be fed grain, and what kind and propor¬ 
tion? I have some seven weeks old. 
Have plenty of separator milk. 2. I have 
nine acres of Pride of the North corn 
sown for silage. Ordinarily how many 
cows should this keep? Do you think it 
would be practical to shred this and put 
it in barn loft loose same as hay. or would 
it mold? I have never had experience 
with silos; have been advised by some 
that it is just as good as a silo; but if so, 
why are so many silos built? L. E. N. 
New York. 
1. The brood sow due to farrow in 
September should be fed rather generously 
during the last month previous to farrow¬ 
ing in order that she may put on some 
surplus flesh that will enable her to yield 
more milk during the nursing season. If 
you have an abundance of skim-milk that 
will supply all the protein that is neces¬ 
sary. and with ground oats, barley and 
beans available a ration consisting of 
three parts of corn, five parts of oats, two 
parts of barley and two parts of beans 
| would constitute a useful mixture. I 
should feed her enough of this mixture 
to enable her to gain from a pound to a 
pound and a half a day. As to the 
amount of grain and milk to feed her, 
she should have four or five pounds of 
milk with each pound of grain fed, and 
she should be given enough of the grain 
to secure the gain suggested. The amount 
will vary according to the size of the par¬ 
ticular sow and her general feeding qual¬ 
ities. So far as the young pigs are con¬ 
cerned, a ration consisting of equal parts 
of middlings, oats and ground barley 
would give good results. This should be 
fed in the form of a thin slop rather 
than as a dry feed to young pigs. If the 
milk is sweet and fresh some of the feed 
could be diluted with skim-milk, but gen¬ 
erally the best results follow the feeding 
of the grain in the form of a thin mash 
and following this with the drink. Keep 
the pigs growing and gaining, but always 
keep them hungry, and avoid, if possible, 
overfeeding or giving them more than 
they will clean up at each feeding with 
relish. The middlings can be taken from 
the ration after the pigs weigh 50 pounds, 
but there is nothing more palatable for 
young pigs of this age than standard mid¬ 
dlings. If the sows nursing pigs can have 
access to a green forage crop their milk 
flow will be substantially increased. The 
use of ground oats and skim-milk consti¬ 
tutes a splendid combination; but iu the 
absence of an abundance of milk it is 
necessary to include some tankage to 
make sure that a sufficient amount of 
protein is available. 
2. Nine acres of Pride of the North 
corn under average conditions ought to 
yield 90 tons of silage. This is figuring 
on a yield of 10 tons to the acre. A 
1,000-pound cow will eat from 30 to 40 
pounds of silage per day. Usually it is 
desirable to feed silage during the Winter 
feeding season of six months; hence you 
would require approximately 1.000 pounds 
of silage per cow per month, or during 
the six months’ feeding season you would 
require three tons of silage per cow. 
Therefore if your nine acres yielded 90 
tons of silage it would provide sufficient 
succulence to feed 30 cows at the rate of 
35 pounds per day through a period of 
six months. For the best results silage 
should be cut after the ears are well 
glazed and before the corn is frosted. Of 
course you would get better results in 
feeding dairy cattle through the agency 
of silage than, in case you shredded the 
corn and stalks and fed the shredded 
fodder for roughage. A great deal of 
difficulty would be experienced in keeping 
the shredded corn fodder. The only safe 
way would be to put the corn in small 
stacks and shred enough each week to 
provide roughage for the cows; otherwise 
the material would mold and spoil. It is 
true that silos are gaining in popularity, 
for it has been demonstrated repeatedly 
that corn well grown and matured will 
yield more actual pounds of digestible 
nutrients per acre than can be obtained 
from any other crop. It is nevertheless 
true that the cost of growing and caring 
for it varies considerably, and is rapidly 
increasing, owing to the prevailing labor 
cost, and it is possible that there may be 
a lull in silo building. 
Estimating Weight of Heifer 
I have a heifer 13 months old, and I 
would like to know her weight. As I 
have no way of weighing her, I will send 
her measure. From back of horns to root 
of tail. 0 ft. 3 in.; from withers to floor, 
4 ft. 7 in. ; girth back of forelegs, 5 ft. 6 
in.; girth around larger part. 6 ft. 5 in.; 
from rump bone to floor, 4 ft. 10 in. This 
heifer is high grade Holstein. C. J. 
New York. 
It would be quite impossible to give a 
correct estimate of the weight of your hei¬ 
fer based only upon the measurements that 
you have submitted. Mere dimension is 
not a safe guide, for weight is determined 
not only by the frame itself, but by the 
extent of its covering and the degree of 
flesh that the animal carries. It ought 
to be possible for you to get some exper¬ 
ienced dairyman to give you a conserva¬ 
tive estimate of her weight, for at best 
any information that we could supply you 
from the above information would be a 
guess. 
Thriftless Calf 
I have a thoroughbred Holstein heifer 
six months old. I feed her 9 qts. of skim- 
milk and lb. calf meal in her milk 
daily, besides being on pasture. She 
weighs over 200 lbs. She grows nicely, 
but her hair on the ears and around the 
eyes is not coming on as it should. I have 
washed it with soap and water, rubbed oil 
on and wool fat. and it has not fully shed 
her Winter coat. My son is raising this 
calf for a club, and it is to go to a fair 
next month. What would be best for this 
calf? K. 
New Jersey. 
The term “thoroughbred” is only cor¬ 
rectly applied to the English running 
horse or racehorse, which is called the 
Thoroughbred. Other purebred, regis¬ 
tered animals are termed “purebred.” or 
“registered*’ Holsteins, Jerseys, Short¬ 
horns, Percherons. Berkehires, Shrop- 
shires, and so forth, but not thorough¬ 
breds. The calf in question has not 
thrived well. A well-fed calf should make 
n pound of growth daily, as an average, 
therefore, your calf is about 100 lbs. 
under weight, and will not be likely to 
win at a show. Ill-thrift also is plainly 
indicated by failure properly, to shed the 
hair. Indigestion probably is the cause, 
and that is due to errors in feeding. Keep 
her off grass. Let her occupy a roomy, 
clean, airy box stall. Give her a full 
dose of castor oil to move the bowels 
freely; then allow her to help herself to 
whole oats, wheat bran and oilmeal. along 
with cut green feed, or clover or Alfalfa 
hay, in addition to new milk fed three 
times daily until she picks up, after which 
sweet skim-milk gradually may be substi¬ 
tuted ; or let her nurse a cow. Groom 
her thoroughly once a day, and sheet 
lightly. 
