FEEDING FOR MILK.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1390, 25 March 1912, Page 10

FEEDING FOR MILK.

AN INTERESTING DAIRY PROBLEM. . Tho dairy world has been exercised for the last year or two, says Mr. Primrose M'CoiiHoll in the "Farmers' Gazette," over tho question of producing milk at the lowest cost for food per gallon, and lias' to some extent lost sight of the question of how to produce the largest quantity, of milk per head irrespective of cost. Thero are a 'very large 'number of farmers who feed their cows for beef the whole .time they are milking, and when the yield of milk ceases to pay the animals are sold fat to tho butcher. They are never kept to come round into work again, but are forced by high feeding to yield the utmost amount of milk, and to lay on fnt at tho same time. Even where tho herd is kept on from year to year, however, fairly heavy feeding can bo followed for the purposo of getting a big yield of milk without inquiring into the lowest possible number" of pence per gallon it may Cost. Tho , greatest quantities of milk—where quality is nnt considered—can bo obtained from cows 'fid largely on brewers' grains and mangolds, together with a minimum I of fodder, or any.other foods similar to 1 these, such as other kinds of roots, cabbages, soups made with meal, etc. An ordinary dairy cow if fed with a bushel of mangolds, a bushel of brewers' grains, and 101b. of hay will probably yield her utmost in milk, though it will be of poor quality. We cannot increase the quality of a cow's milk by feeding, but wo can very easily reduce it by the use of supersucculent foods like brewers' grains and mangolds, while fresh grass in spring has the same effect. A little cake or meal added on will help to counteract this lowering tendency, any quantity up to Gib. per head daily to each one in full milk, and others in proportion will give good .results'.. Forced feeding, however, has ntlier drawbacks besides tho expense Where the animals'are killed off. at the end of their it ,;:on the evil effects are not seen, but oru.jarily they will w?ar out m about three seasons and break down if fed too heavily, while running a risk from milk fever. It is bettor to feod moderately and be satisfied with an outlay which brings in the best total results.