EXPERIMENT STATION. 91 



two tons per acre. Much hay is raised on the farm and it is the 

 aim to feed as much of it as possible, using only what grain is 

 necessary. The cows were fed hay and grain in the morning 

 after milking, and hay at noon and night. 



Two stables, containing together twenty-five cows in all stages 

 of lactation, were selected for observation, and the fodder which 

 they consumed was weighed for two consecutive days with the 

 following results : 



1st Day. 2d Day. Average. Average 



per Head. 



Hay eaten 549.00 lbs. 552.00 lbs. 550.50 lbs. 22.02 lbs. 



Maize meal eaten 39.25 39.00 39.13 1.57 



Linseed meal eaten 55.50 57 50 56.50 2.26 



The close agreement of the results on the two days is, to a cer- 

 tain extent, a guarantee of their correctness, and is interesting as 

 showing the uniformity in feeding attainable by practice. 



In the above form, however, the ration cannot be readily com- 

 pared with others in which different feeding-stuffs may have been 

 used. The most practicable way in which to render it compar- 

 able with others is to estimate, as may be done with considerable 

 accuracy from the chemical composition of the feeding-stuffs, the 

 amounts of really nutritive (digestible) matters contained in the 

 ration. The feeding-stuffs used were found to contain the follow- 

 ing percentages of moisture : — 



Hay - - 13.47^ 



Maize meal 20.99 



Linseed meal - 12.91 



The water-free substance of these feeding-stuffs had the follow- 

 ing composition in 100 parts : — 



Ash. Protein. Crude fiber. N. Ir. Extract. Fat. 



percent, percent. percent. percent. percent. 



Hay 4.45 8.82 33.83 50.24 2.66 



Maize meal 3.02 10.35 5.50 76.50 4.63 



Linseed meal 6.98 36.76 10.07 4.-?. 14 3.05 



From these data we proceed to estimate the digestibility of the 

 ingredients of these feeding-stuffs. The hay has approximately 

 the same composition as the average of those designated by 

 Wolff as " Inferior," particularly as regards protein and crude 

 fiber, and since experience has shown that the digestibility of hay 

 is largely determined by its chemical composition, we may assume 

 this hay to have had the same digestibility as the average of 

 Wolff's " Inferior," and say that about 52 per ct. of its protein and 



