REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURIST 51 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



ration tliey made a gain of 5 lbs. each in the 21 days. They were changed to a ration 

 3 parts oats and 1 part bran during the second period, on which ration they gained 23 

 lbs. each in the 21 days. 



Taking the different rations in turn and examining them we find that: — 



On pure oats there was in 1 group a loss of 15 lbs. per period and a gain of 21 

 lbs. per period in the other group, a net gain of 6 lbs. in 6 weeks. 



On oats 2, bran 1 there vras during first period a loss of 12 lbs. per horse and a 

 further loss of 10 lbs. per horse during the second period, a total loss of 22 lbs. per 

 horse in 6 weeks. 



On oats 1, bran 1 there was during first period a gain of 5 lbs. per horse and a loss 

 of 8 lbs. during the second period, or a net loss of 3 lbs. per horse in the 6 weeks. 



On oats 1, bran 3 there was during the first period a loss of 50 lbs. per horse, but a 

 gain of 23 lbs. during the second period, showing a total loss of 27 lbs. per horse in the 

 6 weeks. 



On oats 1, bran 2 there was no change in 3 weeks. 



On oats 3, bran 1 there was a gain of 21 lbs. in 3 weeks. 



In conclusion, oor experiments during 1905 go to corroborate our findings in 1904, 

 when we concluded that bran might very safely and very profitably constitute a very 

 large percentage of the meal ration of working horses. Probably equal parts bran and 

 oats might be taken as a fair proportion in which to mix the two feeds. Where the 

 mixture is being fed to horses with sound teeth there does not seem to be any particular 

 advantage in grinding the oats. 



DAIRY CATTLE. 



The herd of dairy cattle during the year 1904 consisted of 35 females all told. 

 They were: — 



Ayrshires 8 



Guernseys 5 



Canadians 5 



Shorthorns G 



Shorthorn grades 2 



Ayrshire grades 4 



Guernsey grades 4 



Canadian grades 1 



FEEDING THE DAIRY CATTLE. 



Wiiiter Feeding. 



The roughage ration for the winter months was made up of straw, roots, ensilage 

 and clover hay. The straw was cut, the roots were pulped and a mixture in the pro- 

 portions of 40O lbs. ensilage, 200 lbs. roots and 30 lbs. cut straw prepared every second 

 day. This mixture being put in a solid pile fermented more or less in a few hours, 

 and the whole mass became quite juicy and apparently very palatable to the cows by 

 the time it was being fed. It was fed at the rate of about 40 lbs. x>er 1,000 lbs. live 

 weight of cows fed. 



The meal mixture this year was made up of bran 50 parts, ground oats 25 parts, 

 oil meal 25 parts. This mixture was fed at the same time as the roughage. Each 

 cow received meal in proportion to the amount of milk she was producing. The amount 

 fed varied from 2 lbs. per day up to 13 lbs. per day. The meal portion was thrown on 

 top of the roughage the cow had just received and the whole mass given a slight stir 

 so as to mix the meal with the roughage, thus ensuring the two being eaten together. 

 After succulent roughage and meal had been consumed clover hay was fed at the rate 



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