60 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



5-6 EDWARD VII., A. 1996 



ration was in the substitution of ' spirit grains ' for meal, ' spirit grains was evidently 

 a good food. 



PEA DUST. 



Four cows of different breeding were used in the trial. To make a comparison of 

 * pea dust ' with the regular ration made up of bran 6 parts, oats 3 parts and oil meal 

 3 parts possible a record is given of the feed and milk for 11 days immediately pre- 

 vious to the 17 days during which the regular meal ration was replaced by ' pea dust.' 



The ' pea dust ' was not very well liked by the animals and some little difficulty 

 was experienced in getting them to eat as great a weight of it as they had been eating 

 of the regular meal mixture. The data given below show the estimation in which this 

 bye-product may be held as a feed for cows in milk. It will, of course, be remembered 

 that under favourable conditions cows might be expected to fall oil about 5 per cent 

 in the time covered by the experiment. 



Number of cows under test 4 



Average meal ration (bran, oats, oil meal before test) .... 8 lbs. 



Average hay ration before test 5 " 



Average ensilage and roots ration before test 60 " 



Average yield of milk per day during 11 days while on 



regular meal ration 88M.1 " 



Milk itroduced by group first day of 11-day period 89 1 " 



Milk produced by group average of last 7 days before being 



fed ' pea dust ' 87^/7 " 



Average yield of milk per day for 17 days while being fed 



' pea dust ' 84J '^ 



Average yield of milk per day for first week while being fed 



* pea dust ' 85^7 " 



Average yield of milk per day for last 3 days while being 



fed ' pea dust ' 85J " 



Rate of decrease 4J% 



Normal rate of decrease for period 5% 



The above data show that ' pea dust,' in spite of being somewhat unpalatable to 

 cows is a most excellent ration for milk production. The cows, though not eating 

 quite as much of the ' pea dust ' as of the regular meal, did quite as well when fed on 

 ' pea dust ' as when on the regular meal mixture. 



FEEDING REFUSE APPLES TO DAIRY COWS. 



Another test has been made of the value of apples as a food for milk production. 

 Apples were fed at the rate of 22 lbs. per day during 4 weeks, with the result that there 

 was a slight increase in the rate of milk production as compared with a considerable 

 decrease when apples were not fed. The following table gives all data of the ex- 

 periment :— 



