CROPS FOR COWS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2959, 7 November 1925, Page 3

CROPS FOR COWS.

THE VALUE OF CARROTS. HINTS ON ENSILAGE. Carrots are an excellent root crop for the milking cows for late autumn and winter feed. They should be Sown as spring approaches—late autumn or early September. The seed bed requires to be very fine to obtain successful results, and about 3 to 4 cwt. of a mixed manure, consisting largely of superphosphate, with a little sulphate of ammonia and sulphate of potash, should be used. Maize is the chief supplementary fodder crop for maintaining the milk production in the late summer and autumn. Green maize is an excellent cow feed in summer, owing to its succulence which is an important factor in milk production, and the maize crop will produce more feed per acre than any other crop. Rape has a highfeeding value, and is an excellent green food for cattle. It increases the flow of milk; but as it is liable to taint the milk, it should be fed in moderation, and only immediately after milking. Rape may be sown from early spring until late summer. The spring is usually the best time to establish the area to be devoted tg the lucerne crop. On land where it is suited it will grow luxuriantly even in a dry summer. It is excellent for milk production, and being accessible over a long period, during which it is characterised by the rapidity of its growth, it is of the greatest benefit to dairymen, enabling a full flow of milk to be maintained throughout the summer months. When fed with maize it gives an almost jmrfectly balanced ration. It is found in practice best not to feed both crops together, but the lucerne at one feed and the maize at the next, alternately. As the season advances and the time for the main hay crop is past, it is only lucerne, clover or other late-manuring crops which can be turned into hay with any prospects of success. Ensilage can be made much later in the season than hay. In America, ensilage is the most important supplementary food for the dairy cows, and it is there taking the place of green forage crops. The great advantage that is claimed for it is that it is always there when it is wanted. A forage crop under favourable weather conditions may not be ready just at the time it is needed, or if it is ready the pastures may be proving adequate for requirements, and it is not wanted. Under dry pasture conditions maize or ensilage, supplemented with crushed grain, would give an excellent ration. The chief difficulty with maize is that it is not always ready when required. When green maize is fed alone for milk production, it is an unbalanced ration, but when fed with lucerne or grain, it becomes a very useful feed, as the percentage of nitrogen present is thereby increased.