458 



EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



1.1 lbs. All cows received per head ijer day from 17.6 to 6.6 lbs. of 

 hay and straw from spring cereals ad libitum. — f. av. woll. 



A study of rations fed to milch cows on sixteen dairy farms 

 in Connecticut, < '. I>. Woods and O. tS. I*iii:lps {(Utnncctk'ut ^Starrs 

 Sta. Rpt. lS93j pp. 09-11:7). — The observations here rei)orted were 

 made during tlie winter of ISOU-G.'i. The herds to be tested were 

 selected after a personal inspection or considerable correspondence. 

 A station assistant remained at each farm during tiie test, weighing 

 the feed eaten and the milk produced by eadi cow, taking samples of 

 the feeding stuffs for analysis, testing the composite samjdes of the 

 milk of each cow, and making a record of the breed, weight, and stage 

 of the milking i>eriod. Any uneaten food was weighed back and 

 allowance made. With two exceptions the tests lasted 5 days each. 

 The feeding stutts were all analyzed at the station. The 16 herds 

 tested contained LT)! milking cows, the smallest containing 10 and the 

 largest 20 cows. Three fourths of this number were either pure or 

 grade Jerseys or Guernseys. The majority of the cows were between 

 3 and 6 months advanced in the milking period. 



Detailed and summarized statements are given for each herd of the 

 age, weight, and milk yield of each cow; the percentage of fat and the 

 total amount of fat in the milk for 5 days; the amount of food given 

 and total and digestible nutrients in the daily rations of coarse fodder 

 and grain. The average of the 16 rations was as follows: 



Average composition of -the rations for dairy cows. 



In the 16 rations the digestible protein ranges from 1.35 to 3.16 

 lbs., the nutritive ratio from 1 : 1.5 to 1 : 11,3, and the fuel value 

 from 28,750 to 42,600 calories. The authors believe that the cows of 

 the herds examined and the method of feeding were both rather better 

 than the average for the State. 



In another summary the yields of butter fat during the 5 days are 

 classified in accordance with the nutritive ratios of the rations and the 

 amounts of digestible protein which they contain. In this all cows 

 under 2 years old and all which had been giving milk more than 8 

 months were omitted, as also, in one or two instances, animals giving 

 unusually small yields. The summary follows: 



