Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1939, Page 88
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LE NORD
clusion of readily digestible (concentrated) and high-protein fod-
ders in the feed together with hay. The result was a feed in which
the share of hay became necessarily smaller, and the share of
readily digestible fodder, such as roots and high-protein con-
centrages, greater, the higher the production aimed at. In Den-
mark the feeding developed furthest in this direction. In Fin-
land, where the average milk production per cow is much lower
than in Denmark, such a feed became a practice chiefly on the
farms, where it was desired to improve the milk-production.
Nevertheless, here also the use of protein-rich concentrates in-
creased considerably towards the end of the last decade, so that
the value of the imported concentrates corresponded with that
of the exported dairy products. During this decade the use of
high-protein concentrates has appreciably lowered per kilogram
of milk produced. In Sweden the use of concentrates is much
greater than in Finland, but, however, not so great as in Den-
mark.
In short, it must be concluded that at the end of the last decade
the conception prevailed that, in advanced conditions, economic-
ally profitable milk-production, e. g. a production of 3500—
4000 kg. milk and 140—160 kg. fat per cow per year, required
a considerably greater amount of protein-rich concentrates. Thus
the imported concentrates were regarded as essentially neces-
sary to advanced dairy farming.
The high milk-production obtained with young grass on sum-
mer pastures showed, however, that in theory it is not impossible
to attain similar results even in winter, if only young grass can
be preserved so that its nutritive value does not decrease during
storage. The solution of the conservation of fresh fodder in a
more effective way than by the old methods seemed to open pos-
sibilities for an entirely new winter feed, which corresponded with
the summer feed to some extent and did not require any supple-
mentary high-protein concentrates.
On the other hand, it was clear that grass cannot be cut so
frequently per summer and at such an early stage as it can be fed
on pasture, so that identical fodder cannot be obtained for pre-
servation in winter. Clover-free grass contains sufficient protein
for high milk-production only at a very young stage (10—20 cm.
high); with increasing age of plant its protein content rapidly
falls. For instance, timothy contains at the time of shooting ears
i. e. long before flowering, only 95—100 g. digestible protein