DAIRY AXD SEED IMPROVEMENT MEETINGS. 319 



Thirdly, as to the fact that the best is none too good for the 

 raising of dairy cows, regardless of cost. 



The first element in milk that makes it especially valuable as 

 a feed is protein of which it contains a little more than 3%, 

 variously estimated 3.1 to 3.4 or 5. This is composed of some- 

 thing near 3% casein and around one-half of 1% albumin. The 

 nutritive ratio is very narrow, being 1.2. Only a good quality 

 of cottonseed meal approximates it. Milk solids are 98% diges- 

 tible, the protein itself being 95% digestible. The value of the 

 digestible protein in milk, either whole or skimmed (which 

 differs but Httle), in comparison to oats for instance, both of 

 which the dairy farmer raises, both also seeming to have some 

 element of feeding value which escapes the chemist's crucible, 

 may be measured in money value something like this : A bushel 

 of oats is practically one-third of one hundred pounds. The 

 protein content of skim-milk is practically one-third of that of 

 oats, pound for pound. Therefore, the protein content of one 

 hundred pounds of skim-milk would be equal to the protein 

 content of one bushel of oats. V^alued by the protein content 

 alone, one hundred pounds of skim-milk would at present be 

 worth 65c and would have averaged better than 55c for the year. 

 While, if compared in the same way with corn meal, which is 

 admittedly low in protein, and still one of the best grain feeds 

 we have, if not the best, and which contains a small fraction 

 more than twice as much protein, it would be worth more than 

 80c per hundred (skim milk 3.1%, corn meal 6.3%), a hun- 

 dred pounds of corn meal being worth $1.65, one-half 82|c. 



In comparison to bran, which has around 12% digestible pro- 

 tein, it would be worth 2>7'k^ P^r hundred or \ of $1.50 — not far 

 from the average price for the year. 



ASH. 



A second element of milk that makes it a valuable feed is ash, 

 of which one hundred pounds contains a little more than half a 

 pound, viz., phosphoric acid 0.20 lb., lime 0.17 lb., potash 0.17 

 lb., magnesia 0.02. 



Quoting from Henry: ''Because of the protein and ash it 

 carries, skim-milk is of high value in building the muscles and 

 bony frame work of young animals." 



