344 MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



as "checkers." It was the fortune of the writer to serve on the super- 

 vising force as one of these "checkers" throughout the demonstration. At 

 irregular intervals the men were transferred from barn to barn. Our 

 work, in short, consisted in seeing that the rules laid down by the Super- 

 vising Committee were carried out and that the work in the barns was 

 done accordingly. This included the weighing of all the feed, fed to the 

 individual cows as well as the weighing and -sampling of their milk. 

 Whenever a weight was made it was at once carefully recorded with a 

 carbon copy, on blanks especially provided for the purpose. The work 

 of feeding and milking in the several barns was done according to a 

 strictly observed schedule prescribed by the Supervising Committee. The 

 day's work began at four o'clock. At this time the cows in two of the 

 barns were fed. The daily ration of each cow was kept in an individual 

 feed box of convenient size to hold a day's allowance of grain and cut 

 hay. Each cow in the demonstration had a barn number and in all the 

 work was jcferred to by it. This was painted on her stall and on her feed 

 box, as well as stamped on a brass tag attached to her horns or suspended 

 about her neck. The hay was kept in a numbered, securely sealed bag. 

 The first work in the morning of the "checker" was to unlock each box 

 and break the seal of the corresponding bag. Then he must see that the 

 feed was given to the right cow. As soon as the animal was fed, her 

 box had to be re-locked and the hay bag rc-sealed. This process was 

 repeated at 11:30 a. m. and 6:00 p. m. The ration for the entire day 

 was mixed and the ingredients weighed into the feed box under the eye 

 of one of the "checkers." Tt was the duty of the "checker" to record 

 the weight of each of the ingredients nf the feed and turn these in at the 

 central office. No feed could be cut without the presence of one of the 

 "checkers," to see that nothing went into the feed but what was charged 

 to the cows. All feed and forage were kept in locked bins. At regular 

 intervals small samples of each of the feeds used in the barns were placed 

 in properly labeled bottles. These were sent to the Bureau of Chemistry. 

 United .States Department of Agriculture. Washington. D. C. where a 

 chemical analysis was made. The subjoined table gives the analysis of 

 the various feeds used during the first half of the demonstration. 



