1917] ANIMAL PRODUCTION. 567 



cost, transportation charges, and dealers' profits. All things being equal so far 

 as the efficiency of the ration is concerned, the use of a ready-prepared calf 

 meal is largely prohibitive on account of the high retail prices of such 

 feeds. . . . 



" In order for a ration to be considered an unqualified success for dairy 

 calves, it should produce at least 1 lb. of gain per day as an average for the 

 first six months of the life of the calf. An average daily gain of 1.5 lbs. is not 

 uncommon, although slightly above that which the average dairyman may 

 expect. 



" The amount of grain mixture and dry roughage consumed by dairy calves 

 is a splendid index to their thriftiness. . . . The amount of food nutrients 

 required per day by growing calves is approximately 0.33 lb. of protein, 1 lb. 

 of carbohydrates, and 0.05 lb. of fat. The above figures are based upon the total 

 amount rather than the amount of digestible nutrients consumed. 



" The rate of growth in height of dairy calves is rather uniform during the 

 first six months of their lives. The average monthly growth for an average 

 sized calf should be from 1.5 to 2 in., although certain individuals may much 

 exceed these figures. As dairy calves advance in age their relation between 

 height and weight gradually changes. A calf at 30 days of age should weigh 

 approximately 3 lbs. for each inch in height. This figure gradually increases 

 until, at six months of age, the average calf should weigh approximately 6.5 

 lbs. for each inch in height." 



The efficiency of certain milk substitutes in calf feeding, R. H. Cask, 

 G. Spitzek, R. E. Cai>dwell, and O. H. Andekson {Jour. Biol. Chem., 28 (1911), 

 No. 2, pp. 501-509, figs. 6). — Experiments conducted at the Indiana Experiment 

 Station are reported, the objects of which were to determine to what extent 

 a calf meal made up of both animal and vegetable feeding materials, rich in 

 protein, could take the place of skim milk, and whether the proteins from wholly 

 vegetable sources are capable of producing growth and development of the 

 calf to the same extent as the proteins from animal sources. 



Fresh separator skim milk was fed at 98° F. The calf meals were mixed with 

 water (1 : 12 by weight) and fed at the rate of 4 oz. of dry meal at first to 12 oz. 

 on full feed, the mash being fed at a temperature of 98°. The calves had a dry 

 mash of equal parts of ground corn and oats, and alfalfa hay. A sample was 

 taken from each meal at the time of mixing for chemical estimation of the 

 nitrogen content, and from this the amount of nitrogen consumed daily was 

 calculated. The meals used were mixed as follows: Vegetable meal — linseed 

 meal, soy bean meal, cotton-seed meal, and wheat middlings (equal parts by 

 weight) ; home-mixed meal — hominy feed, linseed meal, flour, and dried blood 

 (equal parts by weight) ; vegetable-dried-blood meal — soy bean meal, linseed 

 meal, cotton-seed meal, wheat middlings, and dried blood (equal parts by 

 weight) ; and home-mixed casein meal — hominy feed, linseed meal, flour, and 

 casein (9:9:9:8 by weight). Old-process linseed meal was used in these mix- 

 tures. 



The feeding experiment in which 4 calves were used was divided into three 

 periods of 29, 25, and 18 days each The rations were changed for each period 

 of the test, skim milk being fed for one period to each calf and oue of the mixed 

 meals to 2 calves for one period, so that each calf received skim milk and two 

 of the mixed meals in the course of the experiment. Of the nitrogen consumed 

 in the different rations the following percentages were retained: Skim milk 

 40.7, home mixed meal 32, home mixed casein meal 30, vegetable meal 27.3, and 

 vegetable-dried-blood meal 22.6. The gains in grams of body weight per gram 

 of nitrogen consumed for the different rations were skim milk 34.41, home mixed 



