FOODS ANIMAL PRODUCTION. 



69 



Average cost of food ivith differevt hreeds of cows in first and second periods of lactation. 



Holstein 



Ayrshire 



J ersey 



American Holrteniess 



Guernsey 



DeTi on 



Cost of food per 

 head daily. 



First Second 

 period. period. 



Cents. 

 1G.76 

 14.05 

 13.86 

 11.42 

 12.77 

 10.48 



Cents. 

 19.31 

 17.35 

 14.16 

 14.05 

 17.34 

 14.64 



Cost of food per 

 pound of milk. 



First Second 

 period. period. 



Cents. 

 0. 925 

 0.879 

 1.127 

 0. 928 

 0.985 

 0.908 



Gents. 



0.810 

 0.858 

 0.066 

 0.779 

 0.899 

 0.897 



Cost of food per 

 pound of fat. 



First 

 period. 



Cents. 



26.3 

 24.3 

 20.0 

 26.3 

 18.4 

 23.0 



Second 

 period. 



Cents. 

 26.4 



24.8 

 18.5 

 22.8 

 15.0 

 19.0 



"While the estimated cost of the several coustitueuts making up the rations ot 

 these animals has been kept the same for both years for greater ease of comparison, 

 the average daily cost of each animal for food during the second period has been 

 16.17 cts., while for the tirst it was 13.11 cts., or as 123.3 to 100; the average cost of 

 milk the second period was bnt 90.6 per ceut of the cost for the first period ; and the 

 cost of the fat for the .second period was 95.6 per cent, upon an average, of the cost 

 during the first period of lactation. 



"The increased cost of food during the second ])eriod was due to the natural 

 increase demanded for maintenance, the cows having averaged about 40 lbs. increase 

 in weight during their second period over their weight during the first. . . . 



"It is to be observed that there is very great diftereuces in the individual animals 

 as to the relative cost of production of milk and fat for the 2 periods." 



As to the relation between the fat in tlie food and in the milk, the 

 data for all the cows for three years show that the food contained 

 8,277 lbs. of crude fat, and the inilk 7,145 lbs. of fat. Allowing 17.4 

 l)er cent for the average impurity in the crude fat, the food contained 

 95.67 iier cent as much fat as was found in the milk. Again, 20 cows 

 in their first period of lactation cousumed in all 5,421 lbs. of pure fat 

 and yielded milk with 5,108 lbs. of fat. Fourteen of these cows con- 

 sumed 3,570 lbs. of pure fat and yielded milk with 2,978 lbs. of fiit, or 

 only 83.3 per ceut of the fat consumed; while the remainiug 6 cows 

 consumed 1,851 lbs. and produced in milk 2,135 lbs., or 15.3 per cent 

 more than was consumed. It is suggested that these facts "give rea- 

 son for the belief that it is this fat in the food which normally furnishes 

 that found in the milk." 



The consumption of water has al.so been recorded. During 3 years 

 the cows consumed on an average 2,435 lbs. of water per montli while 

 in milk, and 1,586 lbs. while dry, a difference of 849 lbs. While in 

 milk 68.2 per cent of the water consumed was taken as drink and the 

 remaining 31.8 per cent in the food; and while dry 65.5 per cent was 

 taken as drink and 34.5 per cent in the food. The excess of 849 lbs. 

 consumed while in milk is partly accounted for by the water in the 

 milk. 



Comparison of dairy breeds of cattle with reference to produc- 

 tion of butter, L. L. Van Slyke {New York State Sta. Bpt. 1S9j2, i^p. 

 467-494). — A continuation of a report of the data on the subject given 

 in the annual report of the station for 1891 (E. S. R., 4, p. 255). 

 Data are given lor Ayrshire, Devon, Guernsey, American Holderness, 

 Holstein, aud Jersey breeds of cattle for a part of the second peiiod of 



