Zurich Herald, 1954-02-11, Page 3TIIffAI.N 111.NT
Jokti2uw1I.
Do 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.
k * *
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 monthsbefore they caatve,
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 feed. 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!
* * :4
Just to give you an idea, those
low -fed calves got only 183 lbs
of milk (half the normal), 162
lbs. of diy starter (compared with
216 lbs.), and 815 lbs. of growing
feed (compared with 1923 lbs.).
They got poor -quality, U.S.. No.
grass hay, while the other two
groups No.1
>i ps g ofand 2 grass-
legume hay. We also' gave 'am
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
figures show the weights of the
different groups at 6, 12 and 24
months of age:
* * d:
6 mos. 1 yr.
Low 267 447
Normal 339 629
High 449 766
* * *
So, at freshening time, the low -
fed heifers were actually 509 lbs.
lig! ter. 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
about 10,500 lbs. milk, and. 390
lbs. butterfat, on the second lac-
tation,
2 yrs.
744
1023
1253
* * *
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
mare less feed than the normally-
fed
ormallyfed group, and about. $250 less'
than dike cows that got the over-
generoi s early feed. We now
wonder if heifers don't grow
about as efficiently between 32
.and 44 months as when they're
younger.
o (Upside down to prevent peelt:ingl
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Will the under -fed heifers live
longer, breed more efficiently,
and produce more milk in a life-
time than those fed well ss
calves? That is the main objec-
tive of this experiment, and we
won't have these answers for
several years.
* * 9,
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 ill 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 rationwould average 95
months -20 months longer! That's
nearly two extra lactations.
r * *
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 allof the effects.
* *
But the preliminary results do
show that dairymen might be
smart to getall.the growth o
sm ,t p s
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,
Food For Living -= The "Grgf,dmother of Rome;' 1111 -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.
1JM&Y SCIIOOL
LESSON
By Rev R B Warren. B.A., B.D.
Christ, the Living' Bread
John ,11:: 48-59, 66-89
Memory Selection: I am the •
bread of !nice: he that cometh
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 fQod,
so easily. They thought to make
him king but he retired from
their midst tothe mountain
alone. - During the night he went
walking on the sea to his disc
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 fresx tri" ,I
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 e
ey sense s thy.
must eat of his flesh 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:.
theforms of religion but not se
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 op 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
ray 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
~•Alfa -•Shaer, ..a --Johannesburg
photographer, recently photo-
graphed a remarkable incident
in. the Wankie Garvie Reserve in
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 -
hale, ' with the Injured .animal
lagging °behind, four lions rushed
forward and knt?cked 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 ma-
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
Because a donkey proved to
have a nose for numbers, it will
not gc hungry for the rest of its
life.
It is a quaint little story, and
has trickled through from the
little town of Jagodina, in Yugo-
slavia, 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,
looked 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, soxinething was •
seen t6 atter. 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). He 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 hatcher"y.
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 sooni
CROSSWORD
PUZZLE
ACROSS
1. Sall supports
B. Move
furtively
11. Part ofa
ilo*er
11. Arnericae
lake
18. Flexible knife
19. Century
Plant
18. That fellow
11. Gathered
together
18. Golf mound.
19. Indigo plant
21. Affirmative
(dial.)
12. Small room
22. Fur -bearing
animal
15. Fodder pit
87. Based
29. pet
18. Pertaining to
.a short poem
85. Famous
Greek
physician
1B. True
statement
89. "Tit. -,
toe"
41. Cotton fabric
42. Have debts
43. Song
45. 'Va2latl on
(eh.)
46. Move
sideway.,
48. Run
50. Gastropod
mollusk
IL Tiny
59, Hrrnn
63 Part o4 a lay
DOWN
1 Vigor
2 Gentle atroko
e River in Eaet
Asia
4. Fresh supply
5. Serpents
6, Fish
7. Haul
8. Angry
9. Book of
fiction
10. Assume a
reverent
attitude
11. Old musical
instrument
18. Matted woet
I7. Style of
poetry
20. Dormouse
22. Rind of
Jewelry
24. Spread
28. Loiter
23. Yh111pPlne
Island tree
30. Exalt
31.. Legislative
body
32. Breathe loudly
in sleep
34. Rebounds
36. Trench
37. Flying
38. Evergreen
tree
40. Subject
48. Biel
49. Unaspirated
47. Untruth
99. Co swiftly
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Answer elsewhere on this page.
A Tension -Packed Traffic Safety Lesson on the Peril of
Driving Too Long and Too Fast in Bad Weather. "Tera
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 skw 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 before to lots of folks. IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU.
R SECONDS TO LIVE -Be /
massaged his eyes with thumb
and middle finger, trying to rub
Out cny..:. nP ihn serrIA
SECONDS TO LIVE -He'd
driven almost eight hours since
lunch and was beginning to feel
N. Tired .. , tired... .
EI SECONDS TO JLIVE--Lousy
driving in rain. Headlight beans
Just seems to soak in along with
the water.
PA SECONDS TO LIVE ---Prob-
ably need a. new windshield
wiper blade. Get one tomorrow
-or next time it rains.
ig SECONDS To LIVE --a lie
!planted his Heels on the floor-
board, squirmed twit In seat,
trying for comfort. Shouldn't
drive so long without 4l break.
"WM sure bre good to get home
end stretch ottt on the coue-lk
el SECONDS 'ro LIVE --At 60
Miles per hour, A ear covers 88
feat of pavement every second,
trout seconds, 353 feet. Ilani to
make a quick stop on this wet
pavement, 352 feet -froth here
to Eternity,
klott
ill SECONbS TO LIVE -Some-
thing looked wrong through the
blurry windshielsf. A tentative
dab at the brake stiffened into
desperate pressure as he 'made
Mit an old, unlighted, slow4
Moving tt'uol< *heed.
Eq SECONDS TO LIVE ---Panic
moved in. Turn to the left. No.
. There's a car coining. Head-
lights too close. Can't make it.
Turn to the kight, That's ne
good either, Too close to the
roadside ditch,
6
SECONDS TO LIVE ---A cig-
aret flipped from an oncoming
ear. The redglow dissolved
before it landed.
III SECOND TO LIVE --Horror
numbed everything into slow
motion. He was floating right
into the near corner of the truck
bed. It< opened his mouth to
scream: NO SECONDS TO
LIVE.