The Seaforth News, 1954-02-11, Page 3Do under -fed calves make the
best cows. That's the question
posed by Dr. J. Thomas Reid, of
Cornell University, writing in the
Farm Journal (Philadelphia).
The claims he makes are startling,
to say the least, and' well worth
• your attention,
Ak * *
What would you think of this
way of raising dairy heifers: un-
der -feed them from the time
they're a few days old until they
freshen. Start them with a little
' milk for five weeks, Carry them
along on pasture or roughage and
a little grain - just enough to
keep them growing slowly. Then,
two months before they edtve,
give them about three pounds of
grain a day. After they freshen,
feed for top milk production.
* * *
Sounds crazy? Yes, and I
wouldn't want to suggest that
you run right out to the barn and
try it.
* * *
But actually, in experiments
we have under way at Cornell
University, we've been carrying
calves along like this. And their
production through their first
two lactations has been surpris-
ing, These low -fed heifers have
produced just as well as heifers
that we've fed normal and above -
normal amounts of feed as calves.
* * *
Here's how we found out these
things: five years ago we began
to divide Holstein heifer calves,
at birth, into three groups, and
put each group on a different
"level" of teed. We now have 90
head of animals on this experi-
ment, 45 of which have complet-
ed at least their first lactation.
We put one bunch on a normal
level of feed, according to Mor-
rison's standards. We put anoth-
er bunch on a high level of feed
�� - about 140% of normal; the
third group went on a low level
-60% of normal!
* * *
Just to give you an idea, those
low -fed calves got only 183 lbs
of milk (hall the normal), 162
lbs. of dry starter (compared with
216 lbs.), and 815 lbs. of growing
feed (compared with 1923 lbs.).
They got poor -quality: U.S. No.
3 grass hay, while the other two
groups got No. 1 and 2 grass -
legume hay. We also gave 'em
the poorer pastures.
* * *
As you would probably expect,
each bunch of heifers grew in
size and weight according to the
amount of feed they got. These
flgures show the weights of the
different groups at 6, 12 and 24
months of age:
* * *
6 mos, 1 yr. 2 yrs.
Low 267 447 744
Normal 339 629 1023
High 449 766 1253
• * *
So, at freshening time, the low-
fed,;heifers were actually 509 lbs.
lighter. And they were notice-
ably smaller. But they don't -ap-
pear to be permanently stunted.
After they calved, we fed them
liberally for growth and top pro-
duction, and they've picked up
fast. They pulled about even in
weight with the normally -fed
heifers at the end of their first
lactation. However, the heifers
that got above -normal amounts of
feed weighed about 200 pounds
more when they calved for the
third time.
* *
As we said before, all three
groups have milked about the
same. The ones that have finish-
ed two lactations have all aver-
aged about 9,000 lbs. milk, and
340 lbs. fat, on first lactation, and
abo'it 10,500 lbs. milk, and 390
lbs, butterfat, on the second lac-
tation.
As you might expect. the low -
fed heifers, after calving. ate
more feed in proportion to the
milk they produced than did the
other two bunches. That's logi-
cal -they had to catch up on their
growth,
But they still had eaten $100 or
more less feed than the normally-
fed group, and about $250 •less
than the cows that got the over-
generous early feed, We now
wonder if heifers don't grow
about as efficiently between 32
and 44 months es when they're
younger.
(Upside down to prevent peeking)
3
st
0
3
A V SIE%
o nH
d
Will the under -fed boilers live
longer, breed more efficiently,
and produce more milk in a life-
time than those fed well as
calves? That is the main objec-
tive of this experiment, and we
won't have these answers for
several years,
* * *
One thing that concerns us is
that many of our low -fed heifers
have not been able to deliver
their calves without help. This
could affect the productive,. life
of these animals. We lost sever-
al calves through these forced
deliveries, We have no idea how
these different feeding levels may
effect lifetime breeding efficiency,
Furthermore, the dairyman who
under -feeds his calves and heifers
is likely to under -feed them as
COWS. * * *
But we still think that we are
on the right track, because Swed-
ish and Danish scientists have
proved this light early feeding to
their satisfaction,
* * *
Twelve years ago a Swedish
experiment station started com-
paring identical twins of the
Swedish Red and White breed.
* * *
Half of the twins were on a
low level of feed: their mates got
a liberal amount. After 12 years,
here's how the results look:
11% of the cows fed at low
levels before first calving are
s t 111 producing economically.
None of their mates, fed more
feed as calves, are even living,
* * *
The Swedes have figured out
that the average productive life
of a cow fed well as a calf is 75
months, while those fed below -
par ration would average 95
months -20 months longer! That's
nearly two extra lactations.
* * *
Again, I wouldn't want to urge
dairymen to rush out and start
underfeeding all their calves. We
need to run our experiments
longer, and with many more ani-
mals before we can definitely
know all of the effects.
* " *
But the preliminary results do
show that dairymen might be
smart to get all the growth pos-
sible from pasture and rough -
ages, and otherwise follow pres-
ent recommendations. And in a
few years, maybe we can say
that raising heifers this way will
make them live longer, and
therefore pay you more dollars
in the long run.
Cash security -Sew a button on
one side of a man's wallet. Then
it can be buttoned -securely and
safely into an overall hip pocket.
s
Food For Living - The "Grandmother of Rome," 111 -year-old
Antonia di Pasquale, holds one of her great-grandchildren on
her knee during a family reunion celebrating her birthday. And
what does she eat at her tender age? Wine, spaghetti and meat,
when she can afford it,
7Il1NbAY SCI1001
LESSON
By Rev R B Wart en B.A. B,D,
Christ, tlea Living Bread
John 0: 48-59, 66-¢9
Memory Selection: I am the
bread of We: he that cometh to
me shall never hunger. and he
that believeth in .me shall never
thirst, John 6;35.
Jesus had performed the mir-
acle of feeding the 5,000 from a
lad's lunch of five loaves and two
small fishes. Twelve baskets of
remaining fragments had been
gathered. The people were real-
ly enthusiastic for him. It would
be wonderful to get their food
so easily. They thought to make
him king but he retired from
their midst to the mountain
alone., During the night he went
walking on the sea to his dis-
ciples who were having difficulty
in the storm. When daylight
came the people hastened around
the shore to where Jesus was.
With the memory of the miracle
of the loaves and fishes fresh in
their mind he proceeded to ex-
plain to them how he was the
Bread of Life. They must believe
in Him. In a very real sense they
must eat of his flash and drink
of his blood. No, this was not the
sacrament. It is a vital partaking
of Christ himself. Many could
not receive the truth and from
that day turned back from being
his disciples.
Men are still eager to accept
the forms of religion but not so
ready to accept the Christ him-
self. A lawyer when repeatedly
asked if he had received the Lord
Jesus into his heart gave in suc-
cession the following evasive
replies: "I belong to
Church in Toronto, which has as
pastor the eminent
"I get up early on Sunday morn-
ing and take my wife and chil-
dren to church, and we enjoy
the service and the hymns very
much." "I read the Bible and en-
joy it." "I think Christ was a
great benefactor of mankind."
After a period of silence he said,
"For years I have been saying
nice things about the Lord, but
I have never let him come into
my heart." Then he repented of
his sins and pled for God's mercy,
Jesus Christ did come in and he
was a new creature.
There is a lot of sham and pre-
tence in the field of religion. But
the heart of man is never satis-
fied until the individual actually
makes the complete surrender to
Jesus Christ and partakes of Him.
He alone can satisfy.
Lions Lose Lunch
Alf Shaer, a Johannesburg
photographer, recently photo-
graphed a remarkable incident
in the Wankie Game Reserve fn
Central Africa,
Drawing up near a waterhole
one afternoon, he saw a number
of buffaloes quenching their
thirst. One buffalo was sluggish
in his movements, and was ap-
parently suffering from some in-
jury to a leg.
When the herd left the water -
hole, with the injured animal
lagging behind, four lions rushed
forward and knocked him down.
The buffalo gave a frightened
bellow, and the herd immediately
turned round and raced to the
assistance Of the stricken animal.
Charged by the stampeding crea-
tures, the lions turned tail and
made off into the bush.
Then the buffaloes nosed their
lame friend back on to his feet,
two of them mounted guard on
each side, and they all ambled
slowly off.
Smart Donkey
liBecause a donkey proved to
have a nose for numbers, it will
not gc hungry for the rest of its
fe,
It is a quaint little story, and
has trickled through from the
little town of Jagodina, in Yugo-
slavia,
ugoslavia, where, it seems, a seller
of lottery tickets came into a
cafe to try to interest the diners
in buying some,
The proprietor of the cafe, for
a. joke, fetched his donkey in
Order to "select" for him one of
a number of tickets which were
held out in front of its muzzle.
The animal seemed to hesitate,'
Iooked long and hard at both the
proprietor and the lottery sales-
man, as if to say: "What sort of
a game is this?" and then nosed
at one of the tickets.
Later, when the result of the
lottery was announced, it was
found the cafe proprietor had
won first prize -a modest for-
tune. Now enough money is
tucked away for the donkey to
give it a daily feed of oats for as
long as it lives.
Odd things Folks
Find in Fish
While fishing at Zell am See,
Germany, a young man caught
a large and very old carp. As it
was being cleaned, something was
seen to glitter. It was a gold wed-
ding ring bearing, the initials
"R.H." And when the young man
told his grandmother, she at once
recognized the ring as belonging
to her late husband. (In Ger-
many men often wear wedding
rings). Ile had lost it while fish-
ing many years before not far
from the spot where the fish
was caught by his grandson.
There are many authentic
stories of valuable articles found
in fish. A woman in Boyne, Mich-
igan, cut open a fish and found
an ear -ring she had lost two years
earlier at a fish hatchery.
A gold watch marked "R.G."
was found inside a barracuda cut
open by a Cuban fisherman. The
owner was never found.
A small shark caught off the
North American coast was found
to have swallowed a handbag in
which were a love -letter, four
English sovereigns, six shillings,
four United States dollars and a
diamond ring.
Cod usually swallow anything
bright. A Berwickshire woman
bought a cod in an Eyemouth
shop and discovered inside it a
blue enamel brooch with letter-
ing and a number, She advertis-
ed it, and it was found to belong
to an Edinburgh woman whose
daughter had lost it at Elie, Fife,
months before.
"LITTLE WILLIE"
Little Willie,
A big balloon;
Struck a match;
In heaven soon!
CROSSWORD
PUZZLE
ACROSS
1. Sall supports
O. Move
furtively
11, Part of R
flower
12. American
lake
12. Flexible knife
14, Century
plant
14. That follow
1t. Gathered
together
18. Golf mound
10. Indigo plant
21, Affirmative
(dial.)
95. Small room
20, Fur -bearing
animal
Lt, Fodder pit
27, (cased
90. Pet
33. Pertaining to
a short poem
35. Famous
Greek
physician
34. True
statement
80. "Tit, -
tne"
41. Cotton fabric
42. have debts
40. Song
45. Vailatlon
fab.)
40. ?rove
Idewnys
48. Run
50„Gastranod
mollusk
81. Tin'
5..,Ilrr•„
O0, ParttC00 a play
1. Vigor IV
9. Gentle stroke
5. River in East
Asia
4. Fresh supply
O. Serpents
0. Fish
7. Darn
8. Angry
9. Book of
action
10. Assume a
reverent
attitude
11. cid musical
instrument
13. Matted woe
17. Style of
Poetry
30. Dormouse
22. I{Ind of
jewelry
24. spread
26. Loiter
21, Philippine
island tree
30. EnOlt
1. Legislative
body
32. sleep loudly
Is 5
In sleep
34. Rebounds
10. Trench
37. Flying
33. Evergreen
tree
40. Snblect
43, Gael
44. Unnsptrated
47. Untruth
49. Go swiftly
;:y ,�;4:
030,0'4,
2
0
4
5
i;?L
@�:;(.:
6
7
d
9
10
�.
a
i2
3
Ian..
14
14t
I41
I7
'" "•Y
Ia
'0
10
�'
2I'C:22
311
�
25
1
ii
"
27
28
X 429
30
31
50.
'{o -t
�..T
ti'
35
36
2
37
36
•^;
*`,
45
53
`
40
fV4i
77#4".k:',
:
46
47
, ',^'
46
I
49
ly
s;
ri.
IA
Answer elsewhere on this page.
•
A
A Tension -Packed Traffic Safety Lesson on the Peril of
Driving Too Long and Too Fast in Bad Weather. "Ten
Seconds to Live" Was Written by Raymond Eastman,
Illustrated by NEA Artist Ralph Lane.
He pushed his sleeve back, held his wrist close to the lighted speedometer, squinted. to read the time. A little after nine. Five, ten minutes
after. Ought to be home in half an hour. If he'd known he had only seconds to live he might have checked the time more closely. He might
have done several things differently.°It's happened to lots of people; maybe not just that way, but similarly. Drive too long, eyes get tired,
reactions slow down. Rain, darkness, a windshield that's hard to see through. Driving too fast. A car or truck ahead that you can't see. It's
happened be'ore to lots of folks. IT COULD FIAN'EN TO YOLit
IIJ SECONDS TO LIVE -He
massaged his eyes with thumb
and middle finger, trying to rub
out ..„«o
la SECONDS TO LIVE -He'd
driven almost eight hours since
lunch and was beginning to feel
it. Tired ... tired. . .
E/ SECONDS TO LIVE -Lousy
driving in ruin. Ilcadlight beach
just seems to soak in along with
the water.
El SECONDS 10 LIVE-I'rob-
ably need a 3CW windshield
wiper blade. Get one tomorrow
-or next time it rains,
SECONDS TO LIVE -A cig-
aret flipped from, an oncoming
ear. The red glow dissolved
before it landed.
la SECONDS TO LIVE -De
planted his heels on the tleor-
heard, squirmed back in seat.
trying for comfort. Shouldn't
drive so long without a break,
Will sure be rood to get home
and stretch out on the couch
;SECONDS TO LIVE -At 00
Miles per hour, a ear covers 88
t'eet of' pavement every second.
pour seconds, 352 feet, Heard to
make a quick step on this wet
pavement, S5?. feet -from here
to Eternity.
ESECONDS TO LIVE -Some-
thing looked wrong through tee
blurry whtdshield. A tentative
dab Itt the ^brake stiffened into
desperate pressure as he made
out an old, unlighted, sloty-
moving truck ahead.
E SECONDS TO LIVE--1'ani4
Gloved in. Turn to the left. No,
There's a car coming, Plead.
lights too close, Can't make it.
Turn to the right, That's 00
good either, Too close to the
roadside ditch,
If SECOND TO LIVE -horror
numbed everything into slow
motion. Ile was floating right
into the mar corner of the trod(
had. ±9' opened his month to
aurae ti". N0 SECONDS TO.
LI't'I;.