Summer Feeding of Dairy Cows.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 7402, 5 March 1903, Page 4

Summer Feeding of Dairy Cows.

The summer feeding of dairy cows, as a rule, consists of pasture only. When the pasture is short or fails, soiling crops or hay if available aro fed, and, in exceptional cases, some grain feed. With a luxuriant growth of pasture tho cows will piv;<liico as much milk and butter fat on pasture alone as they would if grain were fed in addition. Hut tho result..-; k ;f long continued careful experiments indicate that grain feeding, oven under such conditions, lins tho effect of better maintaining the milk llow, and of 0 placing ihe cows in a better and inoro I) vigorous condition for the following year's work than if no grain were fed. If the piis'aire is poor on account of tho character of the hind, or from dry uvmilkt so that the cows have hard work to find enough to eat, feeding grain is uoc Duly desirable, but it is the only way by menus of which the llow of milk and ii normal quality may bo kept up Hi dairyman should have some feed to fall back upon in" case thu pasture fills to supply all the food the cows n< d A s.y-tein of partial soiling will, in bUeh v case, be found a great belli; an 1 will , save .short pastures, as well as iiiuntim a good llow of milk. The advantaged ol tho soiling system of feeding c tttlt ato frequently act forth in various wa)s In order to help out a poor pastme a fit I 1 of barley or oats should bo sown in c nly spring, and the cattlo may bo turned in when the young plants aro a few inches high, and the other pasture sinou 10l a time, if tho grain is allowed to st uid till it has headed out it will furnish •. a largo amount of valuable green teed for soiling or other purpose*". Anotna . important, soiling crop is oats and peas -. sown together ; among other \ uu ible . soiling crops may be mentioned i\ f wheat corn (early varieties best, ti d cut when kernels arc in the mill ) the various kinds of millet, sorghum i ipj 11 peas, etc. A dairy cow will eat 0> m i hundred pounds weight of green i jl i,( ' daily, but unlesa tliia is I.iii!) v> II matured it is wise to supply so ne. di ' roughage in addition, in the laic sum mer the cows may bo fed soilin ciop , or other feed in darkened stables in 1 let ' out at night. The usual disuslrou tlL(t of the Ihes on the milk llow will m tin •I way, he largely overcome dunii,, tin. summer period.