FEEDING DAIRY COWS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9134, 5 February 1910, Page 2

FEEDING DAIRY COWS.

THE QUESTION OF ENSILAGE.

Upon the proper feeding of dairy stock depends the success of the dairying industry. That hae long been recognised in Denmark and in Great Britain, but in Australia and New Zealand very little attention has been given to it, in the opinion of Mr P. H. Suter, dairy expert, of South Australia. Feeding was in tact, he said, at the conference: of south eastern branches of the Agricultural Bureau, a little-more than half the breeding, and they knew that young stock_ required ' a rrcater, nutritive ratio in their food than the more mature slock. The milch cow required succulence and palatablencss. in her food ration. There was no beast on earth that had a greater strain on her than the milch cow. That would indicate the great necessity for a proper food supply. As regards food supply, .they knew" that oats were better than wheat for horses, because they contained something that wheat did not have, and that barley was better than rye. The reason was "that it contained corbo-hydrates, which gave animal heat. There was nitrogen or protein, which was the most valuable constituent in the food ration from the milk point of view. C A RBO-H YDK ATES. •Carbo-hydrates could be supplied with ! beet-roots.' or molasses and beets, but in the food supply of the cow it was_ the protein that they must mainly consider. It could be supplied on the farm by growing lucerne, peas, beans, vetches, and other leguminous plants; and he could not understand why a district like this was so far back as regards dairying. In the food ration they could use up the oat. barley, and wheaten straw, because the animal required a certain amount of dry digestible matter to fill her up. Respecting ensilage, ho believed that in Australia it would take the place of the root crops that were grown so largely in England. Salt should also be added to the ration of a milch cow with the best food on dairy lines, appetiser to the beast. Too often they j gave the cow just a maintenance ration, and nothing extra from which they would derive a profit. By means of figures on a blackboard he showed the difference between a mere maintenance ration and a ration to keep up a milk supply. For milk-production they must supply the cow with the best foo don dairy lines, and the cow should be of a true milking breed. When they had a milking herd to begin with, the keeping up of a good milch strain was a matter of culling and observation on the part of the breeder. Bran was an excellent ration food, with a little green feed with it. Maize, with & little lucerne, made a good ration. Where there were rich pastures, as at Mt. Gambier, it was not always wise to buy bran.- Last month, for example, tho price of it was too great; but at 8d to lOd per bushel brari could be purchased, and there was considerable profit in it, provided they paid attention to the period of the lactation of the cow. PRODUCTION. A man must consider what he could produce on his farm. Oats were excellent food for dairy cattle, especially in the shape of green fodder. Lucerne and maize were about the best things they could grow on the rich land, and they .gave the most economical production. They could also grow sorghum, but he thought tho king of the fodders was lucerne, and gave instances to prove its value. Ensilage was simply fodder, controlled by fermentation. Many who had attempted the manufacture of ensilage had failed, and their failure had prevented others from trying to make it. To make good ensilage they must grow fodder and cut it at the right stage. A child could make good ensilage. The air must be kept from it. ENSILAGE. If ensilage were fed to cattle throughout the year, in the dry spells particularly, they would have no digestive troubles. There was nothing better than maize for ensilage. It was a hard stem crop, and consequently better than ccreul crop, because there was no air in if. Thus they got a more uniform fermentation in it. Then they could use oats and vetches, oats and peas, or oats, vetches, and peas. Oats by themselves were not as valuable as oats and vetches. To put it in the silo they must chaii it, and it should be dropped into it, from a height. When chaffed it packed better, and produced a more uniform fermentation. At intervals of, say, 6ft as they put it in, coarse salt should be sprinkled on it, because salt was necessary in the ration. If it rained they ■nce'd not worry; it would not hurt the ensilage at all, but would be rather a benefit. If ensilage got over a temperature of 125deg. to 126deg. there was a darkening of the food stuff, and a chemical change supervened. Sweet ensilage was ensilage that was allowed to get over 126deg., and sour ensilage was that which was kept under that temperature. The loss that should follow proper methods of manufacture should not exceed 2 or 3 per cent. To keep the air I from it they should adopt various methi ods of covering and weighing the cn- ! silage. They could put tarred paper over the surface, or go farther, and put bags or 4in of dirt on the top, and if they liked they could then sow something on it. Then they could put_ logs on that again. Treated thus their ensilage would practically mature at four months. It was a nice warm ration in winter, and succulent, and was a good milk-maker if mixed with vetches and peas. It was the best insurance a farmer could make on his stock. ; WINTER FEED. He had made out some rations, rations to keep the cow in profitable milk supply ■ in the winter months, and he took ensilage as a basis. In one he had 401b of maize ensilage, 101b of any hay they liked. 41b of crushed oats, and, if they would. 51b of bran. That would give them three gallons of milk per cow a day. Hero was another —301b of maize ensilage, 151b of lucerne hay, meadow hay, oats, or grass, 61b of bran, and 3£lb of crushed oats. If bran was too dear they could procure something else of the same food value, Another one was 401b of sorghum ensilage, or 60lb of green sorghum, 61b of bran, 21b of oilcake. 101b of wheaten chaff, and 21b of crushed oats. He was satisfied thaiit would pay to feed their cows properly during the winter months. Molasses was useful in the ration when mixed with chaff; if not obtainable, oilcake could be used.