Department of Animal Husbandry cxxiii 



A study by Professor Harper to compare a ration consisting of grain 

 and of succulent food such as silage and carrots, with a ration of grain 

 and clover hay, in fattening young draft horses for the market. 



Improving farm horses, by Professor Harper. This study is intended 

 to show the effect of selection in breeding, and of improved care and 

 management, on the future development of the horse. It was begun in 

 November, 1910, and will be continued for at least ten years. 



The cost of raising heifers from birth to maturity, by Professor E. S. 

 Savage. There are parts of New York State in which it may be better 

 to purchase grade heifers outright than to raise them, depending on the 

 cost of raising. This project aims to throw some light on the problem. 

 At the same time, data in this work will be available on the best methods 

 of raising calves when skimmed milk is procurable and when it is not. 

 The investigation was begun in September, 1910, and will continue until 

 September, 1915. 



The cost of milk production, by Professor Savage. There are com- 

 paratively few sets of records kept in detail on farms. The purpose of 

 this investigation is twofold : to determine the cost of milk and butter- 

 fat, and to determine a method of keeping stable records which will be 

 accurate yet not too cumbersome for a farmer to keep up. The study was 

 begun in September, 19 10, and will be completed in September, 191 5. 



EXTENSION 



The extension work of the Department has been considerable during 

 the past year. An assistant professor, H. A. Hopper, was employed 

 temporarily for three months during the winter and spent the most of 

 his time at extension schools. The other members of the staff have made 

 lectures and attended meetings as opportunity allowed. 



A large part of the extension work of the Department consists in the 

 supervision of the records of pure-bred cows for advanced-registry regis- 

 tration. During the year ended May i, 1912, the records of 1,992 

 pure-bred Holstein cows, belonging* to 326 different owners, were super- 

 vised continuously for various periods of seven to ninety days. In 

 addition, monthly inspections of two and one half days each were made 

 for all the owners requesting them, for cattle entered on yearly records. 

 At the pVesent time the Department is supervising the records of 104 

 Ayrshire cows belonging to 9 different owners, 56 Guernsey cows belong- 

 ing to 8 different owners, 231 Jersey cows belonging to 15 different owners, 

 31 Holstein cows belonging to 7 different owners, and i Brown Swiss 

 cow ; a total of 423 cows belonging to 40 different owners. This required 

 the services of one hundred and nineteen inspectors, about seventy-five of 

 whom were constantly employed for four to five months. 



