54 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



4-5 EDWARD Vli., A. 1905 



thing a trial if you are a dairyman? It will increase your milk product. It will 

 lighten your labour, since your interest will be increased in your work, and ' interest 

 lightens labour,' It will show you the unprofitable cow the ' boarder.' You cannot 

 get rid of her too quickly. 



4. For weighing the mik a simple spring balance may be secured for from one to 

 three dollars. If your local dealer cannot supply you, write the undersigTied for par- 

 ticulars. A small platform scale is fairly convenient, but we find the spring balance 

 preferable. 



5. Many farmers keep records of the amount of food fed to individual cows. If 

 you would like to do so, sample forms would be sent free on writing J. H. Grisdale, 

 Agriculturist, Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, Ont. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH DAIRY COWS. 



In reporting upon the following experiments with dairy cows, a few introductory 

 remarks are submitted, a careful reading of which will help in understanding the 

 results. 



A careful examination of the daily milk records of many cows shows that for 

 from 2 to 3 months the milk flow increases or remains nearly uniform; for the next 

 3 or 4 months the decrease is at the rate of about 10 per cent, and then till the end 

 of the lactation period the rate of decrease seems to vary very much, some cows de- 

 creasing very japidly, and others very slowly indeed. It is, therefore, rather difficult 

 to say what the normal rate of decrease in milk flow in a given group of cows really 

 should be, even though the dates of calving were known. It would probably be safe, 

 however, to say that 10 per cent per month was the regular rate of decrease, and taking 

 that rate as the basis, some idea of the influence of the different feeds on the milk 

 flow may be formed. 



In estimating the values of rations, hay is charged at $7 per ton; ensilage, turnips, 

 mangels and sugar mangels at $2 ; sugar beets at $3 per ton, and meal at $20 per ton. 



The cows in the different experiments were in some cases dry, in other cases far 

 advanced in the lactation period, and in other cases newly calved. 



EXSILAGE vs. MANGELS. 



The cows in these groups were all fairly well advanced in lactation and the ex- 

 periment was in every way satisfactory, no mishap or untoward circumstance arising. 

 It will be observed that while the mangels were practically no better milk producers 

 than the ensilage, the mangel ration cost 1*2 cents more per diem than the ensilage 

 ration. The table is self-explanatory. The ' summaries ' are the averages of the re- 

 sults of group ' C ' on mangels and group ' D ' on mangels, and the same when on 

 ensilage. 



