872 EXPERIMENT STATION EECORD. [Vol. 36 



system to determine the value of cut alfalfa hay as a supplement for pur- 

 chased grains. The lot fed the home-grown rations received alfalfa hay, 

 silage, corn-and-cob meal, well cured alfalfa hay cut in a silage cutter, molasses, 

 and soy bean meal. The other lot which was fed purchased rations received 

 alfalfa hay, silage, corn meal, beet pulp, gluten feed, wheat bran, and cotton- 

 seed meal. The cows were so fed that each lot received about the same 

 amount of dry matter and digestible nutrients. On the home-grown rations 

 the cows produced 10,148.6 lbs. of milk and 350.6 lbs. of milk fat. Those on 

 the purchased rations produced 10,125.7 lbs. of milk and 348.8 lbs. of milk fat. 

 On the basis of market value the cost of the home-grown ration was $110.83, 

 making the feed cost per quart of milk 2.3 cts. ; and of the purchased feeds 

 $120.17, or a feed cost per quart of milk of 2.5 cts. On the basis of cost of 

 raising the feeds, the home-grown ration cost $73.51, a feed cost per quart of 

 milk of 1.5 cts. When the cows were fed all the alfalfa hay they would eat 

 and 35 lbs. of silage daily they consumed 4.14 lbs. of cut alfalfa daily with 

 the grain mixture. 



The average cost of feed per cow in the station dairy herd during the year 

 was $100.97, as compared with $95.24 for the previous year. No pasturage 

 was available for the cows during the year, and as a result about 60 per cent 

 of the total cost of feed was spent for roughage. For the 37 cows in the herd 

 during the year the average 12-months' record was 7,671.9 lbs. of milk and 

 295.17 lbs. of milk fat. With feeds charged at market prices the feed cost 

 of producing milk during the year was $1.31 per 100 lbs. Charging roughage 

 at cost of raising and concentrates at market value the feed cost of producing 

 milk was 91 cts. per 100 lbs. 



Data are given on the feed cost and gain in weight for heifer calves until 

 freshening. Twenty Holstein heifers to an average age of 13| months had 

 consumed feed valued at $46.94 each, and made an average daily gain of 

 1.64 lbs. ; 7 Jersey heifers to an average age of 14i months had eaten $52.23 

 worth of feed each and gained 0.76 lb. each daily ; 2 Guernsey heifers to an 

 average age of 14f months had consumed $57.83 worth of feed each and made 

 a daily gain of 0.96 lb. ; 6 Ayrshire heifers to an average age of 17i months 

 had consumed $65.81 worth of feed and made an average daily gain of 0.83 lb. 

 per head; and a grade Shorthorn heifer had eaten $37.68 worth of feed by 

 the time it was 13 months old and gained an average of 0.84 lb. daily. 



Notes are also given on cow testing association and advanced registry work. 



EflELciency of various protein concentrates for milk production, E. B. Hart 

 and G. C. Humphrey (Wisconsin Sta. Bui. 275 (1911), pp. 7, 8, fig. i).— Con- 

 tinuing experiments previously reported (E. S. R., 35, p. 562), trials were 

 conducted during the year to determine the efficiency of such protein-rich con- 

 centrates as gluten feed, dried distillers' grains, and linseed meal when fed 

 with a basal ration of corn meal, corn stover, and corn silage. For comparison, 

 casein and skim milk powder were also tested. Holstein cows producing from 

 40 to 45 lbs. of milk per head daily were used, being fed each concentrate for 

 four weeks. The protein in the ration was kept below the amount needed to keep 

 the cows from losing nitrogen from their bodies in order to bring out any 

 differences in efficiency of the various concentrates. The nutritive ratio of 

 the rations was fixed at 1:8, and the proteins from the concentrates tested 

 formed one-half of the digestible protein in the ration. 



When fed with the basal ration used in these experiments, gluten feed 

 showed a considerably lower efficiency than linseed meal, distillers' grains, 

 and either casein or skim milk powder. In spite of the constant loss of 



