One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture AnsweredWickson, Edward J. (Edward James)
Science
One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture Answered
Wickson, Edward J. (Edward James)
Agriculture -- California
Dry sorghum fodder is counted about the poorest roughage that one would
think of harvesting. It is much less valuable than Indian corn fodder.
Egyptian corn is one of the non-saccharine sorghums which are valuable
both for grain or for green feeding. We never heard of direct
milk-drying effect, though such a result might be expected from feeding
such innutritive material, which is also difficult of digestion. If fed
for roughness it should be in connection with concentrated foods like
bran or oil meal or with green alfalfa. No cow can give much milk when
the feed is hardly nutritive enough to keep her alive.
There seems to be, however, much difference in the dry fodders from
different varieties of sorghum. One grower writes: "Kaffir corn is the
only variety within our knowledge of which the fodder is of much value.
We consider the fodder much more preferable than that of the ordinary
Indian corn, and our stock eat it much more readily than the sweet
sorghum. However, it requires a much longer season in which to ripen
than does any of the other varieties, for which reason it is less
desirable to plant in midsummer."
Steers on Alfalfa.
How much alfalfa hay will a two or three-year-old steer eat per day, and
about what is the gain in weight per day?
A steer will clean up about 33 pounds per day. Steers will make about 1
1/2 pounds gain in weight per day.
Concentrates with Alfalfa.
I have a good supply of alfalfa hay and have been feeding this as a
straight feed for my dairy cows. They are not, however, doing as well as
they should and I am looking for some good feed to go with it.
You could probably get better returns by feeding about a pound of
cocoanut meal and three of dried beet pulp than by any other combination
of concentrates with straight alfalfa. If you are producing market milk
or butter prices justify it, more concentrates could profitably be fed.
It is an expensive proposition to build up a properly balanced ration
with alfalfa and concentrates alone, and unless market milk is being
sold, it usually does not pay. The cheapest way to provide a balanced
ration is not by concentrates, but by wheat or other grain straw, and
let the cows eat all they care for. This is very cheap and helps to
balance a ration with green or dry alfalfa hay, is usually cheap, and is
fine for cows. Both are much less expensive than concentrates.
Chopping Hay for Horses.
What saving may be made by chopping all oat hay when fed to horses?
There is no particular saving in chopping hay unless the horses are
worked very hard and for very long hours, as is often the case with
express horses in the cities, or unless the power for cutting is very
cheap and feed high. The idea is that, except in unusual cases as above
mentioned, the horses can do their own grinding cheaper than it can be
done by power. Somewhat less hay is wasted when fed cut than when fed
long, but if they are not fed too much long hay they will waste very
little.
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