82 Bulletin 222. 



herds of poor cows which it would be possible to develop so that they 

 would give milk containmg a higher percentage of fat. 



1. General Plan and Purpose of the Experiment. 



The experiments detailed in the following pages give the results 

 of an attempt to increase the percentage of fat in milk of a herd of 

 cows previously kept under adverse conditions. The experiments 

 were begun in March, 1900, and were continued four years.* 



In planning the experiment it seemed desirable to secure a herd 

 that should fulfill as nearly as possible the following conditions: 



(a) It should be of at least considerable size. 



(b) It should have been established on the same farm for some 

 time. 



(c) A large proportion of the animals should be comparatively 

 young. 



(d) All the cows should drop their calves as nearly as possible at 

 the same time. 



(e) The herd should have a reputation of having been insufficiently 

 fed for several years. 



After some inquiry and investigation a herd was found within easy 

 driving distance of the University that answered all of the above 

 conditions very fully. There were 21 cows in the herd. Of these 

 only four were more than 8 years old, all but one had calved within 

 two months of one another- and all were very thin in fiesh. They 

 were of native and mixed breeding. A few evidently were low-grade 

 Jerseys. Several showed traces of old-fashioned milking Short Horn 

 blood. A considerable number of the cows had been raised by the 

 owner and most of the others had been bought when quite young. 

 The owner, Mr. G. W. Gibson, was willing to undertake the work 

 asked of him and he has readily co-operated with the Station during 

 the whole course of the experiment, and to him the thanks of the 

 Station are due. 



A record of the production of the herd in milk and fat was then 

 kept for one entire lactation period on the farm of the owner without 



* Credit for the necessary preliminaiy investigations, the inauguration of the 

 experiment and for the details of the work for the first three months is due to 

 Mr. Leroy Anderson, now director of the CaUfornia Polytechnic Institute, San 

 Luis 01)ispo, California. From July, 1900, to October, 1903, the experiment was 

 under the direct charge of Mr. James A. Foord, now professor of agriculture in 

 Delaware College, Newark, Delaware. Mr. Foord has also made most of the 

 calculations, prepared the tables and helped in writing the bulletin. From 

 October, 1903, till the close of the experiment, the records were kept and the 

 necessary details carried out by Mr. John M. Trueman who, since Mr. Foord's 

 resignation, has been assistant in animal husbandry and dairy industry. 



