FEED FOR MILK.

Otaki Mail, Volume 26, 3 September 1919, Page 4

FEED FOR MILK.

AMERICAN SYSTEM OF HANDFEEDINGr Following his visit to -America,- the Victorian Agricultural Superintendent (Mr A. E. V. Richardson) is earnestly ■ endeavouring to induce \ ictorian dairy farmers to feed their animals better, thus to obtain greater production. He contends that the mild winter of the Australian climate is a great asset, but that the dairymen have made it a drawback. In America the dairymen must house and hand-feed their stock all through the freezing winter, and this has taught them to conserve fodder and 1 also to recognise liow important concentrated foods arc if cows arc desired to show a profit upon their keep. Hut the Australian farmer having' discovered that the cows can "starve through” the winter without a'-tually dying, lets them fend for themselves, with the result that it takes all the feed they can get to sustain life, aud there is nothing over for the dairyman. Mr Bicbnrdson urges that the American system of regular hand-feeding should be universally adopted here, ami to that end he supplies information concerning the dairy cow's requirements: — The basal ration for a cow weighing lOOttlb is 351 b of silage mid l-’dl. of hay ' (clover or timothy a and lucem°. Lx- J periment farms have i or years been i throwing light upon feeding problems, j ;md have made the farmers acquainted with the results tm their investigations. The following formula lias given satisfaction: — (1) In normal etr -Jim i: aces the cow should bo fed ail the hay silage or roughage that sin l v. jli >at up clean. (A) The -grain or is entr: • • Mould be adjusted to the mi!!, production. (:;) The grain or emic nt at os should be fed iij the proportion of lib to each "lb of milk produced -me cic-c of cows giving over •! g'dn ... in which case lib of grain hon'd be jlven for each -lib of mili., A. In :bu ice in in to give llh of bill tei-fe.t tlic < ow produces during the week. (-1) Feed all that the- cm- will rexpond to in milk production, it she begins to put on n- n .ut down the ration.