A sudden switch from winter feed ; to spring pasture in the dairy herd may do more harm than good. That's the warning from Dr. M F. Ellmore. dairy specialist at VPI. who says that it is extremely important to make a gradual change from winter to spring feeding. Turn the cows on spring pasture only I after they have been filled up on ilie winter ration. Increase gradually the amount of time the cows are allowed on pas ture so they will always have enough dry matter and can become adjusted to the summer ration. Regardless of how good the pas ture may be. the cows should have access to some good quality dry roughage every day They probably won't eat very much while the pas ture is good, Ellmore says, but they apparently need some dry material throughout the pasture season. This practice may prevent the ex tremely high peak production im mediately after the change from winter feeding, but it will also pre vent the slump that usually follows the increase and will prove to be ! an economical practice in the long run. It will, help maintain a more 1 even flow of milk and also will pre . vent the grass and onion flavors in milk which too often accompany the advent of the pasture season. In general the same procedure should be used with dairy heifers. They will undergo some loss of flesh if they are changed directly from dry winter feed to i full feed of pasture grasses. This is pftrticu : larly true of heifers under one year | of age. It is almost impossible for them to hold enough of the lush

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