DAIKV, SEKIJ IMPROVEMENT, STOCK BREEDERS' MEETINGS. 323 



portunities, only produces 4,000 pounds of milk. The answer 

 is, one had the ability to eat large quantities of food and con- 

 vert it into the milk, the other lacks the capacity to consume 

 large quantities of food or she lacks the ability to turn food 

 into milk. Xo cow ever produced a large quantity of milk 

 without eating a large quantity of food. The amount of food a 

 cow can consume is one of the important factors to limit the 

 amount of milk produced and influence the cost of production. 



The following data collected by Prof. H. C. Eckles, of 

 Missouri Experiment Station, fully substantiates this statement. 



Two registered cows of the same breed were 'bred so as to 

 freshen one week apart. Records were kept of the amounts 

 and composition of feeds consumed for each cow. They were 

 fed exactly alike in regard to the composition of the feed and 

 the intelligence applied to the feeding. When the cows were 

 dry their actual maintenance ration for the year was deter- 

 mined. 



The following table shows the amount of food consumed and 

 the amount of products given by each cow. Subtracting the 

 maintenance ration from total amount of food eaten, gives the 

 amount of food available for production. 



Portion of Ration Available for Production. 



Grain Hay Silage Green Feed 



Consumed per year . . . 3434 2904 8778 4325 



Maintenance 1200 1204 4818 



For Production 2223 1699 3960 4325 



Good cow 8522 lbs. milk, 469 lbs. fat. 



Consumed per year . . . 1907 1698 5088 2102 



Maintenance 1065 1065 4292 



For Production 841 632 795 2102 



Poor cow 3188 lbs. milk, 169 lbs. fat. 



The figures show that the good cow consumed food enough 

 so that she had 2223 pounds of grain, 1699 pounds of hay, 3960 

 pounds of silage, and 4325 pounds of green feed available for 

 milk production, while the poor cow only had about one-third 

 as much food available for milk production, and as a result 

 only produced about one-third as much milk and butter-fat. It 

 showed that it took almost as much food to maintain the poor 



