^^^^•^ DAIRY FAEMING DAIEYIITG. 681 



wheat bran (2:1), 1 lb. of concentrates being fed for each 3 lbs. of milk 

 produced. The velvet bean meal was not eaten with relish at first, but after 

 the preliminary period each cow ate all the velvet bean meal given her, though 

 there was a variation in appetite. 



No material difference was noted in the effect of the two rations on the 

 weight of the cows. A slightly better milk flow was maintainetl by the cotton- 

 seed meal ration. The butter produced by the velvet bean meal ration was 

 somewhat the softer and whiter and the grain finer. Analyses are given of the 

 velvet bean meal and cottonseed meal used in the test. 



In a comparison of linty and lintless cottonseed hulls for dairy cows no 

 difference was noticed when the two kinds of hulls were fed in a dry condition. 

 When the lintless hulls were thoroughly soaked in water before feeding there 

 was a slight increase in milk flow in their favor. 



Roughages for milk production, C. C. Hayden {Mo. Bvl. Ohio Sta., 2 

 (1917), No. 12, pp. 3S7-390). — The importance of home-grown leguminous 

 roughages as a means of reducing feed cost on dairy farms under present 

 conditions is emphasized. Experiments already reported (E. S. R., 32, p. 265) 

 on the value of soy-bean and alfalfa hay for dairy cows are summarized. 



[Sudan grass pasture for dairy cows] {Neiv Mexico Sta. Rpt. 1917, pp. 71~ 

 7 If). — A 7-acre plat seeded April 19 to Sudan grass was divided into two parts, 

 and after 60 days 12 co\\"s were turned on one of the fields. After a few days 

 it w'as found that 12 cows were not sufficient to catch up with the growth the 

 pasture was making, and 8 more cows w'ere added for 12 days. The two fields 

 were irrigated and pastured alternately during the season, the change being 

 made at intervals of about two weeks. Heavy rains came about the middle 

 of October, making these fields too muddy for use, and the cows were given 

 a small grain ration, averaging 4 lbs. per head. The 12 cows were divided 

 into two lots, and the grain ration was alternated from one lot to the other 

 every 30 days. 



The results of this part of the experiment indicate that it does not pay to 

 feed a grain ration to cows running on good pasture. During the four months 

 that the cows were on pasture they gained an average of 19 lbs. per head, 

 and gave 27,422.5 lbs. of milk, which contained 1,096.9 lbs. of milk fat. The 8 

 dairy and beef cows that were temporarily on the pasture gained 18 lbs. per 

 head in 12 days. The pasture carried an average of 2 cows per acre for four 

 months. There was no indication of poisoning by pasturing this grass in 

 November after the frost came. The results of this test indicate that Sudan 

 grass should prove to be a valuable supplement to permanent pastures during 

 the summer under dry-land conditions. 



Winter rations for dairy heifers, C. H. Eckles and W. W. Swett (Missouri 

 Sta. Bui. 151 {1917), p. 36, fig. 1). — In this experiment, which has been under 

 way for four years and has involved 50 heifers, it has been found that heifers 

 receiving a ration of silage and timothy hay will be maintained but will make 

 very little gain in weight during the winter. Gains much above the normal may 

 be had by feeding liberally with concentrates, but this greatly increases the 

 expense of raising the animals. Where summer pasture is relatively cheap and 

 grain high the economical plan is to feed the animals a ration composed largely 

 of roughage during the winter and to keep them in a moderate condition. Under 

 this plan of feeding a large part of the growth is made from pasture, but the 

 animal may be somewhat slower to mature. The most practical ration for 

 Missouri conditions is silage and a legume hay for roughage, with a grain 

 allowance of about 2 lbs. daily. 



Unfavorable rations exert a much more pronounced effect upon the growth 

 as represented by weight than upon the skeleton growth. Unless the rations 



