573 



and gln!en nioal, 3j pouu fls oacli jier day) duriii;;- eaeli period, and to 

 rei)Iace the liay, in separate periods, partly or wholly by one of tlie follow- 

 ing- coarse fodders : corn stover, fodder corn, corn silage, carrots, sugar- 

 beets, and rowen. Thus : 



Periods I, VI, VIII, grain and hay. 



Period II, grain and fodder corn. 



Period III, grain and corn stover. 



Period IX, grain and rcwen. 



Period IV, grain, " half ration" of hay, and carrots. 



Period V^II, grain, "half ration " of hay, and sugar-beets. 



Period V, grain, "quarter ration" of hay, and corn silage. 



The amounts of the substituted coars3 fodders consumed were regu- 

 lated by the appetites of the animals; the consumption of hay, except 

 when fed alone with grain, was limited as indicated above (quarter, 5 

 pounds, and half, 10 pounds, rations). The changes from one ration to 

 another were gradual, at least 5 days being allowed for each transition 

 period. The nutritive ratio of the different ratious varied from 1:5,13 

 to 1 : G.79. The animals were weighed weekly. The data given include 

 for each animal and in each period the average live weight, food con- 

 sumed, dry matter in the food, milk produced per day, and dry matter 

 consumed per quart of milk; nutritive ratio of food, average, total, and 

 net cost of food per quart of milk, manurial value of food consumed and 

 average composition of milk; the amount of milk of six cows required 

 to make one s])ace of cream while on each of the coarse fodders; and 

 analyses of the corn meal, wheat bran, gluten meal, hay, rowen, fodder 

 corn, stover, silage, carrots, and sugar-beets fed, with reference to fer- 

 tilizing ingredients and to feeding value. In calculating the total cost 

 of food consumed corn meal is reckoned at $21.90 per ton, wheat brau 

 at 820.70, gluten meal at $23.40, hay and rowen at $15 each, fodder corn, 

 stover, and sugar-beets at $5 each, silage at $2,75, and carrots at $7. 

 The valuations of the fertilizing ingredients in the food are based on 

 nitrogen at 17 cents, phosphoric acid at G cents, and potassium oxide at 

 4.^ cents per pound. 



[This value], dedu(;ting 20 per cent for the amount of fertilizing constituents lost 

 in the production of milk, is in every instance more than equ.al to one third of the 

 original cost of the food. In some instances it amounts to more than one half of the 

 original cost of the food consumed. 



Net cost of food represents the sum obtained by subtracting 80 per cent of the com- 

 mercial value of the fertilizing constituents contained in the fodder consumed, from 

 the total cost of the feed. Nothing but the net cost of feed is considered in the dis- 

 cussion of the cost of production of milk and of cream. 



The results of this experiment " lead to the same conclusions as our 

 observations in preceding years," and are in brief as follows: In every 

 instance a larger amount of hay was required for the production of 1 

 quart of milk than was required of either fodder corn, corn stover, or 

 silage containing a like percentage of dry matter, the grain food remain- 

 ing in all cases the same. The amount of coarse fodder required per 



