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>IASSA( in SKITS. 



Massachusetts State Agricultural Experiment Station. 



Location. Aiiilicrsl. I )irect(ir. Charles A. (Jocssiii.uin. I'll. J). 



BT'LLETIX No. 32, FEBRUARY, 1SS9. 



Meteorological si m MAin- (p. 1). — Foi- four aioiiths. ciidiiio- Jan- 

 uary 81. 1SS8. 



IiKcoia) OF I r.Ki)iN<; E.xi'EKniKNis w nil r\\ r,i.\ K (ows. (\ A. (Jokss- 

 MANx. 1*11. I). (J)}). -J-D). — This is a sununary of several series of 

 exi)eriiueiits. the primary object of which (see liiiUetiii >U, Massa- 

 chusetts State Station, p. -^ ) '" wa.s to test the comparative merits of 

 corn fodder, corn stover, corn sihii»e. and root crops, in whok^ or in 

 part, as substitutes for a good meadow hay as far as (inantity. (luality, 

 and cost of production of milk are concerned." The experiments 

 were beaun in Issl ;uid have continued to the present. The essential 

 details of the experiments are stated in tabular form under the fol- 

 lowino- headings: (1) History of cows, including- breed, age. numlii'r 

 of cah'es: dates of calving: arrival (purchase) and dej^arture (sale) ; 

 number of days each cow was milked. /. r., length of feeding period; 

 milk yiehl at beginning and end, and a\'erage of whole period; live 

 weight, etc. ('I) The amounts and kinds of fodder, and of nutritive 

 ingredients in each, consumed by each animal, with total cost of feed 

 for period of observation. (3) Local market value per ton of each 

 fodder material used. (4) Value of essential fertilizing constituents, 

 nitrogen. i)hosphoric acid, and potash in the various articles of fodder 

 used; the valuation is based on composition as shown by actual analy- 

 ses of matei'ials fed, and on the assumptions that of the amounts of 

 these fertilizing constituents in the feed 20 per cent are sold with the 

 milk and 80 per cent saved for manure, and that in the manure their 

 value is similai" to that of the same ingredients in the l)etter sorts of 

 commercial fertilizers. (.V) Summary of the financial record of 

 cows (expenses=sum of cost of cows and of feed; receipts=:sum of 

 ]irocee(ls from sale of milk and cows plus value of manure). Full 

 details, including analyses of fodder matei'ials and milk, may be 

 found in the annual reports of the Station. 



(irade Jersey, Ayrshire. Devon. Durham, and Dutch, and nati^'e 

 cows, of moderate milking ([ualities. were used. They were secured 

 foi- the experiments a few days after cahing. .Vs soon as the daily 

 milk yield of a cow fell b^doAv from five to six (piarts she was sold to 

 the butcher and re])laced by another cow. The feeding jieriod, /. r.. 

 duration of the experiment w ith e-tch cow. variecl from I'dl to .M>^.' days. 

 Meadow hay (ordinary grasses), dry fodder corn, corn stover, corn 

 -ilage. roots, and several green crops, such as oats, barley. \"etch. ser- 

 radella. and cowpeas were the |)i'incipal fodders emph)yeil. Corn 

 meal or corn-and-cob meal and wheat l)ran. su])i)lemented in the 

 majority of cases by gluten meal, formed a part of the daily feed. 



