THE COW’S APPETITE.

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 119, 4 February 1926, Page 7

THE COW’S APPETITE.

j PALATABLE FEED ESSENTIAL. Palatable feeds are those "which appeal to a cow's appetite because of their good taste, writes Wilbur J. Fraser in “Hoard's Dairyman." Unless the feed is palatable, after the real needs of the body are supplied, the cow will eat more well-seasoned and appelarge enough quantities to stimulate her to high production. Like humans, she will eat more well-scasos!ed and appetising feed than she will dry, tasteless and repulsive feed. It is the stimulation due to the eating of good, palatable nutritious food, in large quantities that keeps the dairy cow' at the peak of production. Her appetite is kept on edge, and she is always eager for more feed, which will stimulate her to higher production, and so on until the very limit of her economic productive capacity is reached. Any increase we can make in the good dairy cow's consumption of feed by careful selection, preparation and storage will all go to milk making, and will add greatly to the production, and doubly go to the profit.

It is often possible to increase the palatability of a feed by simply changing the form in -which it is being fed. Maize stalks/ for example, are much

more palatible in the form of silage [han dry fodder, while legumes are more palatable in the form of good, w'ell-cured hay than in that of silage. By far the most important and practical way to increase palat/ability after the best possible selection of crops has been made with reference to palatability is to use great care in harvesting, curing and storing crops, so that they will be of fine qualiy -when they are fed. This is largely accomplished, as far as hay is concerned, by cutting it at the proper stage of maturity, and especially by proper curing. If it is allowed to become over-ripe,- too great a proportion of woody fibre de 'lops, and some of the flavour is lost. To have lucerne hay most palatable, and to get the best quality it must be cut as soon as possible after the shoots for the next crop start from the crown; not being allowed to go until it is in full bloom. If the hay becomes wet with rain, or bleaches too long in the sun in curing, the green colour, fine flavour and many of the letaves are shattered off, rendering it much less palatable. Much attention should be given to cutting maize at the proper stage. If harvested too early it makes unpalatable silage because of the development of too high la degree of acid. If maize is allowed to become too mature it makes unpalatable silage, lacks succulence, and moulds are likely to form. Any feed that is likely to mould or decay becomes unpalatable, and it is a bad feed.