FEED & MILK SUPPLY

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1776, 14 June 1913, Page 22

FEED & MILK SUPPLY

VALUE OF GREEN FODDER. STRIKING ILLUSTRATIONS. Tho best equipped and most powerful engine will not perform its maximum amount of service unless the right kind of fuel is supplied in sufficient quantities to enable it to exert its full power. Likewise, it does not mailer how well a. cow may bo bred for milking purposes, she will not exhibit her lull earning power unless tho milk-making material is regularly supplied in adequato proportions during tho full period of Jactation. Herdtesting will discover the unprofitable members of tho herd, but dairymen should ask themselves whether it is always tho cov'a fault that a profit is not shown over working expenses. Too often dairy farms are overstocked and too much reliance placed on natural pasture. While tho graziers of tho Dominion do not havo to contend against extremes of dry and intensely cold weather over prolonged periods, our climato is sufficiently variable and uncertain to m-ako the provision of supplementary feeding crops, both for summer and winter use, an absolute necessity. Within recent years tho Department of Agriculture has conducted many experiments to demonstrate the value of different kinds of fodders for grcon feeding purposes at all times of the year. Instruction lectures have been delivered to gatherings of dairymen or issued in the form of bulletins. Tho lesson is gradually sinking in, but there is still a lamentable neglect on the part of tho farmer to put into practice what knows to be a very necessary part of his farm routine. Tho day has gone by,when pastures alono are sufficient to provide sufficient succulent fodder to allow dairy cows to earn a profit over tho cost of production. No present-day dairy farmer's equipment is complete without the plough and cultivator. It has been shown by experiments with various fodder crops that there are numbers of plants which are suited to the climatic nntl soil conditions of every district and which can be produced in quantity at all seasons. Jlaize, oats and vetches, barley, clovers, peas, prairie grass, Italian rye, Western Woltjis, and other grasses all lend themselves to the purposo of quick and luxuriant growth. It has been demonstrated that lucerne, tho king of fodder plants, will grow and thrive over a very largo portion of the country. As an illustration of the commercial of a good supply of green feed for dairy cows, the following experience that came -under tho writer's notice may bo of interest. A Roiigotea dairyman who is farming on .£4U-an-acre land, on which ho milks 70 cows, decided to give white horsetooth maize a trial, and sowed six acres in three sowings at intervals. Tho crop, which was a particularly good one, was ready for feeding early in January, just at the lime when the cows were showing diminishing yields. A** full ration, as much as tho cattle could cat, was distributed night and morning in small paddocks near the plot of maize. _ Tho green feed had an immediate beneficial effect on the milk tlow, and constituted practically the whole of tho food supply forever two months. In tho meantime showers had refreshed the pastures, so that when tho maize was all consumed there was a splendid growth of fresh grass in the paddocks that had been resting, to carry the cows on to tho end of the milking season. At the end of six weeks from the time tho maize was first cut, the cows wem giving a greater weight of milk per day than they were doing before the maize was supplied. Had there been no supplementary feed available, in all probability the cows would havo been unprofitable at the end of March. What were those six acres of maize worth? A further illustration showing the cash value of a green crop was presented last week, when a perusal was being made of the weights of milk given by a herd that is being privately tested. It was noticed that the cows did very well in November, in December there was a slight decline, but by' the end of January, during which i there was a spell of hot, dry weather, the milk flow had dropped by over onethird, in comparison with December. Taking tho weight of milk, and tho aver-'

ago test of tho herd as a basis for calculation, it was found that tho earning power of cucli cow had been, reduced by JGs. during the month. In a herd of 40 cows this reduction is equal to a loss of .£32. Continuing tho research, it was found that «, decided gain in tho milk yield had been inado during February and part of March. This was explained by tho fact that a small held of oats and vetches that had been sown in December, had been fed to tho stock. Though a month too late, tho green crop had paid its way handsomely, at the same time serving as an object-lesson that will not be disregarded in the future. In a recent issue of tho Department "Journal." Mr. Primrose M'Comicll, manager of the Kuakura I'arm of Instruction, provides some useful first-hand information bearing on the question of change of pasture and feed in relation to milk production. Prom tho Now Year until March 27 tho dairy herd at Kuakura had received, in addition to pasturo grass, a liberal supply of forage in tho form of chou moellier, millet, millet and peas, maize, ctu., but, despite this fact, by the latter date the milk yield had commenced to go down very rapidly. A fine paddock of green barley and tares being then available, tho herd was moved altogether i'rom tho pasture, and confined to tho barley and tares. Commenting upon tho results, Mr. M'Connell says they aro the nioro remarkable seeing that tho majority of tho cows were Hearing the end of tlieir period of lactation. It is recognised by nil dairymen that adverse circumstances will causo a cow to decrease her milk yield much moro quickly than she will increase the yield under tho most favourable conditions, particularly towards tho end of tho milking Eeasou. It is also admitted that an increase in the milk yield often, moans a decrease in tho percentage of butter-fat, yot tho results of Euakura show a very decided increase of butter-fat as well as milk yield. Taking tho Shorthorn Jean, as an example, it i 9 found that this two-year-old heifer had been milking for nearly eight months, yet she shows an increaso on the week of 58.51b. of milk, and 0.3 per cent, ot butter-fat, while the cow Adelaide also shows an increase of G4.41b. of milk, and the abnormal increase of 1.4 per cent, of butter-fat. Tho milk was weighed with every care twice a day, and tho tests are semi-official. There be no mistake in tho latter, tho increase over all the cows being too consistent. When tho cows aro given tho run of a growing crop such as the one under notice, it is recommended that tho paddock bo divided into small areas, with temporary fences. The following table will enable readers to follow the results at a glance :— , Week Before Second fiemoral Week to Tares in Tares and Barley, and Barley. Milk- MilkName of Cow. yield. Test. yield. Test. Jerseys. lb. lb. Little Fancy ... 94.7 5.0 109.6 5.4 Wild Briar 100.il 5.9 120.1 C.4 Cherrv Blossom 93.5 5.0 119.7 5.G Mav Flower ... 100.9 5.0 135.5 G.O May Blossom ... 82.G 4.9 94.6 5.2 Ruhr's Buttercup 127.2 5.0 14G.4 G.O Furv's Princess 94.2 5.3 115.6 G. 4 Eureka 120.3 5.4 130.1 5.G Glenora 93.4 G.O 104.5 G. 4 Dominion Hope 85.7 5.2 113.5 5.6 Dominion Prido 92.5 -fi.l 117.7 6.0 Coral 80.0 , 5.0 91.7 5.4 Lady Ida 124.0' 5.0 169.0 - Shorthorns. Adelaide 18G.8 3.2 249.2 4.6 Daisy r.. 100.G 3.8 141.3 4.G Jean 100.2 4.3 158.7 4.G Miss- Cox 99.1 4.2 141.8 4.4 Bsan 218.0 3.2 282.G 3.4 The valuo of the increase must be reckoned in two directions, as previous to being turned on to the barley and tares the cows had commenced to go down in their milk yield to tho extent of almost 101b. weekly. Take the two-year-old Shorthorn heifer Jean as an illustration. Had she been kept on pasture without a change she would, instead of increasing, have gone down to about 801b, which, when compared with the result of feeding on tares and barley, shows an. increase in favour of tho latter of nearly 8 gallons per week, although she had been milking eight months.