473 



overfeeding:. The first two cows were fed a basal grain mixture, consist- 

 ing? by weight of 8 parts of bran, 4 of middlings, 4 of corn meal, 4 of gronnd 

 oats, 2 of cottonseed meal, 1 of gluten meal, and 1 of linseed meal. From 

 January 22 to February 21 this mixture was fed in amounts increasing 

 fi'om C to 14 i^ounds per animal daily. From February 21 to March 17, 12 

 pounds of grain were fed per animal, from one fourth to three fourths of 

 the grain mixture being replaced by corn meal, and from the latter 

 date to March 29 the grain ration consisted of 3 pounds of bran and 9 

 pounds of rye. The farrow cow received the following grain ration per 

 day : January 26 to 29, 6 pounds of the above grain mixture ; January 

 29 to February 24, from G to 12 pounds of a mixture of bran and cotton- 

 seed meal, half and half; February 24 to March 8, 10 to 12 pounds of a 

 mixture of bran and gluten meal, half and half; jNIarch 8 to 14, 10 

 pounds of bran; and March 14 to 20, 10 pounds of a mixture of one 

 fourth bran and three fourths rye. "There was not much change in 

 the coarse fodder, which consisted throughout of 10 to la pounds of 

 hay and 30 to 45 j)ounds of corn silage per day, to which was added up 

 to March 11 a daily feed of 10 ])ounds of apple pomace." The milk 

 from every six consecutive milkings was mixed and determinations 

 made of the percentage and total quantities of solids, fat, and casein. 

 "The milk of each cow for 3 days on each increase or continuation of 

 grain feeding was set in deep cold setting, skimmed, and churned 

 separately, and samples of all skim milk, buttermilk, and butter were 

 analyzed." The data obtained are tabulated. 



Milk yield. — [No. 1.] In general we may say that, eliminating the records made 

 when oif feed, this cow shrunk one third of her yield in 2 months in spite of 

 heavy grain feeding, and that she gave apparently no more return than she would 

 had she been receiving a normal ration. 



[No. 2.] From the day the mixed meal was increased in quantitj' for 1 month and 

 until the character of the grain was changed, the cow responded to every added 

 pound of grain by increased yield at the milk pail. As soon, however, as the wider 

 corn-meal ration was fed the milk flow began to shrink and continued to do so until 

 bran and rye was fed, when the flow kept fairly constant. 



[Farrow cow.] This cow responded to increased cotton-seed feed by increasing 

 her milk yield to some extent ; she did even better on half bran and half gluten meal, 

 although probably a wider ration, and shrunk on bran and on bran and rye. 



Quality of milk. — In the case of No. 1 no connection can be traced between the 

 qiiality of the milk and the ^ood given; fat remained on the whole constant, while 

 solids and casein increased as lactation continued. [The milk of No. 2 showed only 

 slight changes in composition. In the case of Nos. 1 and 2 the yield of butter was 

 largest on the grain mixture and increased slightly with the amount fed. The but- 

 ter yield of the farrow cow was perceptibly larger with gluten meal and bran than 

 with any other feed.] 



The milk creamed less successfully on bran and rye than on any other feed, a fact 

 which held good with all three cows. As they had less bran then than before, if the 

 effect is due to food the rye must have been a controlling fiictor. The farrow cow 

 gave the richest skim milk. No connection between food and fat content of butter- 

 milk could be traced. 



Comparative effects of hat, silage, and corn fodder as 

 FED TO MILCH COWS, J. L. IIiLLS, B. S. (pp. 8G-88). — A trial with 



