86 



STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE 



REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURIST. 



I. THE COLLEGE HERD. 



During the year covered by this Report, while a limited number of 

 experiments were tried with other kinds of farm stock, the major part 

 of this work was expended during the winter on the dairy herd. The 

 records begun in 1894 were continued during the year, giving data as to 

 the amount of food consumed by each dairy animal, the variations in 

 weight, the amount of milk and fat yielded, and in general a full history 

 of each animal in the herd. 



In the spring of 1897, as a result of the application of the tuberculin 

 test, several of the most distinguished cows in the herd were condemned 

 by the veterinarian as tuberculous, and removed from the herd. Con- 

 spicuous in this list are the names of Belle Sarcastic, College Pogis, and 

 Aida 2d. In October, College Rosa Bonheur and Cara were condemned. 



The names of the cows composing the College dairy herd, the breed 

 to which each belongs and the date of birth were given in a table on page 

 103 of the report of the Michigan Board of Agriculture for 1896. The 

 dates of the close of the milking period completed within the year, the 

 length of that period in days, and the amounts of milk and fat yielded, 

 are given in the next table, together with their previous records. 



Name. 



Belle Sarcastic 



HonwtjeD 



College Pogis 



College Pogis 2d 



College Houwtje 



College Pauline Wayne 

 College Rosa Bonheur.. 

 Cara 



Oatka 3rd*s Wayne. ... 



Yields of milk and fat. 



Period. 



Ending. 



Nov., 18P3. 



Nov., 1895. 



Aug., 1897. 



Aug., 1892 



Aug., 1893. 



Nov., 1895. 



Nov.. 1896. 



LNov.. 1897. 



( Aug., 189.5. 



< Oct., 1896. 

 I Nov., 1897. 



(Sept., 1895. 



^Sept,, 1896. 



I Aug., 1897. 



( Dec, 1894. 



< Jan., 1896. 

 ( July, 1897. 



j Dec, 1895. 



\ Jan., 1897. 



Aug., 1897. 



( Oct. 1896. 



^Sept., 1897. 



fSept., 1893. 



j Aug., 1894. 



1 Dec . 1895. 



I April, 1897. 



Length 

 days. 



330 

 570 

 544 



330 



300 

 523 

 365 

 337 



330 



399 



330 

 330 

 294 



365 

 431 



365 

 365 



357 



450 

 262 



370 

 450 

 378 



Milk 

 lbs. 



9,255.5 

 30,514.2 

 29,544.7 



11,323 5 

 10,780.0 

 23,686.4 

 16,763.0 

 16.708.5 



6,559.0 

 11,314.7 

 11,293.0 



4,793.5 

 6,853.0 

 6,306.4 



7,482.3 



9.247.4 



13,638.5 



8,186.4 

 11,036.4 



14,336.4 



5,913.6 

 6,401.3 



7,574.5 



7,250.4 



11,909.8 



11,859.1 



Fat lbs. 



915.94 

 941.31 



800.17 

 570.81 

 561.74 



316.26 

 553.06 

 551.88 



227.05 

 352.36 

 330.96 



239.45 



287.15 

 371.99 



265.49 

 363.90 



460.52 



234 85 

 261.13 



379.42 

 346.83 



Average 



per cent 



of fat. 



3.00 

 3.18 



3.53 

 3.41 

 3.36 



4.82 

 4.88 

 4,88 



4.73 

 5.14 

 5.24 



3.20 

 3.10 

 2.94 



3.24 

 3.20 



3.21 



3.97 

 4.07 



3.30 

 2.92 



