REPORT OF TEE AGRICVLTURIHT 69 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



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 70 " 



Average yield of milk per day during 11 days while on 



regular meal ration 88%i " 



Milk iDroduced by group first day of 11-day period 90 " 



Milk produced by group average of last 7 days before feed- 

 ing ' Meal Seeds ' 88 " 



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



' meal seeds ' 80J " 



Average yield of milk per day during first week on ' meal 



seeds ' 83% " 



Average yield of milk per day during last three days on 



' meal seeds ' , 78^ " 



Rate of decrease 10% 



Normal rate of decrease for period 5% 



The above data show a tendency on the part of cows to decrease considerably more 

 rapidly than they should be doing, due no doubt to their being on a meal ration of 

 ' meal seeds.' We may fairly safely conclude, therefore, that as a sole meal feed for 

 cows in milk they are not to be very highly recommended. They might, of course, bo 

 fed to some profit if mixed with other concentrates so that they made up only a part 

 of the meal ration. 



SPIRIT GRAINS. 



Four cows of different breeding were taken and a record of their work for 11 days 

 previously is shown. They were then fed the same roughage as usual for 17 days, but 

 in the place of the usual meal ration of bran 600 lbs., oats 300 lbs., and oil meal 300 

 lbs. at the rate of about 8 lbs. per day, they were given an equal amount of ' spirit 

 grains.' The cattle liked the ' spirit grains ' quite well, and the results si>eak for 

 themselves, it being remembered, of course, that milking cows were likely to fall off 

 about 5 per cent in 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 before test 60 " 



Average yield of milk per day for 11 days before feeding 



of ' spirit grains ' began 80^ " 



Milk yielded by group first day of 11-day period 81:^ " 



Milk yielded by group average of last 7 days before feed- 

 ing ' spirit grains ' 79% " 



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



' spirit grains ' 79| " 



Average yield of milk per day during first week on ' spirit 



grains ' 75% " 



Average yield of milk for last 3 days on ' spirit grains ' . . 83 " 



Rate of decrease J% 



Normal rate of decrease for period 5% 



The above data appear to show a tendency on the part of the cattle to increase in 

 milk flow while being fed ' spirit grains ' once the effects of the change of feed was 

 passed. Such a tendency on the part of cows being fed a certain ration is exactly 

 what indicates a good sort of food being fed. Since the only change made in the 



