DAIRY COWS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 455, 13 March 1909, Page 3

DAIRY COWS.

PRODUCTION AND FODDER. ; Every operation on a farm (says the "Mark .Lane- Express"),. the, application of fertilisers,, the employment of concentrated foods, the use of expensive machinery, havo as their justification and object the production of a crop, or stock, or , milk or . some other produce at a lower cost than- 'the amount of money expended to obtain it, and this may be said to be specially" the case with, the production of milk. The, highest ratio of productivity-is aimed at, combined with economy in the use of concentrated food stuffs. - This desirable result can only be obtained by the man who keeps a careful and exact record of his farming accounts; he must be able to tell— 1. How much milk each individual cowproduces. ' 2. The percentage! of fat in the milk produced. 3. What is his expenditure on fodder. With, those three factors before hi'n, tho farmer ' tell the cost of tho g?)l,i,i of milk from each cow, and will soon mil that tho cost varies considerably with the different cows; he will also be ablo to farm a reliable opinion . which is the most 'euiomjudged by the results. "He will gain Hhe variable information •as to which fodder ratio produces the biggest yield of milk of tho best quality, without upsetting the, health of the cows', and at tne same time is cheap. , • • His accounts, will, also show which cows have the best milking capacity. With them be can, atford to be liberal with food, so as to maintain them in the highest state of, productivity. • It .must be admitted that it requires timo and attention to keep such exact accounts, but it is well worth' the trouble. It is the' only certain way of distinguishing between cows which are profitable and those which are wasters. A bad cow requires just' as much fodder and occupies as much room as a good cow. The general charges—such as risk, interest, attendance, housing, etc. —aro practically equal, but the profit obtained from the bad cow is much less, and It. Tli , , uc * ky keeping a caroful record tnat the bad cow often leaves tho balance on .the wrong side, so that it seems essential to keep* a record of each cow, and gradually weed out tho bad milkers. Cows with good milking' capacity jiast he correspondingly well fed. Every animal requires a certain amount of nourishment to keep it alive and in good health. That may bo called ■ its "maintenance" ' food. The fodder which it digests in excess of • the 'maintenance" quantity is that .which is converted into. milk, or increase of weight, as the case may bo, and represents the profit of tho farmer. Thus the more food wo can get the animal to take and digest, the greater should be the protit. In the selection of fodders, the most important are the albuminoids ,and fat. These constituents produce milk in abundance and of gopd quality, in the hay,. straw, roots, etc.,-produced on the farm, the nitrogenous substances are too low for intensive effect either on milk or fattening. Such farm fodder must be liberally supplemented byi concentrated foods if the. best results are to be obtained. ,, A , t ,^ ho t'mo we must not forget limited dCT ' however ™h, is The chief thing is to be sure that your 'rhic ,1 °T haTe milk capacity; lhis depends upon- tho character of the individual cow, and can only be ascertained by keeping a record of the yield of each cow, and replacing any that are found to be unsatisfactory. . ' ,