EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 



407 



TABLE III.— AVERAGE MONTHLY FEED REQUIREMENT PER COW AT WEBBERVILLE. 



Three bottom lines of the table show the amounts of feed for winter and summer seasons and the yearly 



total. 



The average amount of grain fed per cow per year at Howell was 

 1,868 pounds, of which 37%, or 090 pounds, was home-grown. At Web- 

 berville 1,141 pounds of grain were fed per cow, of which 49.2%, or 

 561 pounds, was home-grown. The home-grown grains consisted of oats, 

 corn, and barley with the amounts of each in the order given. 



The price of silage was based on the cost of growing and harvesting 

 the crop. From records kept on 50 farms in 1918 it was shown that the 

 average cost equalled |S.46 per ton. This high cost is attributed largely 

 to the low tonnage yield for that year, due to a very unfavorable corn 

 season. The prices of silage varied from |4.40 per ton in 1916 to |8.46 

 per ton in 1918 in the two districts. 



The average length of time the cattle were on pasture was 157.2 days, 

 costing an average of |7.57 at Howell and |8.20 at Webberville per cow 

 per year. As a whole the Webberville district furnished more abundant 

 pasture, thus cutting down on the amount of supplementary feed fed 

 during the summer season as compared with the Howell territory. As 

 previously stated, the cost of all permanent pasture was based on the 

 capitalized value of the land, allowing 5% for interest and 1% for 

 taxes, plus the upkeep of the fences. All pasture secured from meadows 

 or fields not classed as permanent pasture was charged in according 

 to the amount of feed furnished, either at a weekly rate or on a tonnage 

 basis. 



The large increase in cost of feeds is attributed to the world war 

 which caused a general upward trend for all commodities. The in- 

 creased cost of silage in 1918 was due to the poor corn season for that 

 year, resulting in a very light tonnage of silage per acre. It will be 

 noted that the feed cost per cow at Howell was greater than at Webber- 

 ville. This is due to the fact that the larger and heavier producing cows 



