574 



quart of milk was smallest with corn stover. The net cost of food per 

 quart of milk was from one third to one half less with either fodder corn, 

 stover, or silage than with hay. With each animal this cost was the 

 lowest when fodder corn was fed, and in four out of six cases the cost 

 was lower with corn stover than with silage (the silage, however, only 

 partly replaced the hay in the rations, while both fodder corn and stover 

 replaced it entirely). Both sugar beets and carrots, when fed in place 

 of i^art of the hay, "almost without an exception, raised the temporar^^ 

 yield of milk, exceeding as n rule the corn silage in that direction." 



With both corn silage and roots the best results were obtained when 

 they replaced from one fourth to one half of the full hay ration. " From 

 25 to 27 pounds of roots, or from 35 to 40 i>ounds of corn silage per day, 

 with all the hay called for to satisfy the animal, seems a good propor- 

 tion, allowing the stated kind and quantity of grain food." The in- 

 fluence of the different rations on the quality of the milk " seems to 

 depend in a controlling degree on the constitutional characteristics of 

 the animal. In our case the effect is not infrequently the reverse in 

 different animals on the same diet. The increase in the quantity of 

 milk is frequently accompanied by a decrease in solids." 



A short summary is given of experiments with fodder corn, corn stover, 

 and corn silage vs. English hay for 4 years (1885-1889). The tabulated 

 data show the principal daily rations fed, and the nutritive ratio and cost 

 of the same; the variations in the daily yield of milk, in the total and 

 net costs of food per quart of milk, and in the amount of dry matter 

 consumed per quart of milk; and the market price, value of manurial 

 constituents, and relative net cost per ton of each of the single feeding 

 stuffs used in the experiments. 



"The main interest of our inquiry consists in the successful subtitu- 

 tiou, under otherwise corresponding circumstances, of diy fodder corn, 

 corn stover, or corn silage, either partially or wholly, for English hay, 

 as far as net cost of food and quality and quantity of milk are con- 

 cerned. •* * * At present local market prices of feeding stuffs, hay 

 and corn meal are very costly fodder articles, and the same applies to 

 carrots." 



(2) Green cropn vs. English hay (pp. 48-G3). — A brief reca])itulation 

 is given of comparisons of green vetch and oats, green serradella, and 

 green Southern cow-peas with English hay as food for milch cows, made 

 in 1887 and 1888. In continuation of these experiments six cows were 

 fed in 1889, from June 19 to October 22 (Ave i^eriods), 3j [)Ounds each of 

 corn meal, wheat bran, and gluten meal, together with coarse fodder, 

 consisting in the first and fifth periods of a " full ration " of hay, and in 

 the second, third, and fourth periods of 5 pounds ("quarter ration") of 

 hay and all the green fodder the cows would eat. This green fodder con- 

 sisted in the second period of vetch and oats, in the third of cow-peas, and 

 in the fourth of serradella. "The amount actually consumed per day 

 varied in the case of vetch and oats from 30 to 55 pounds, of cow-peas from 



