DAIRY FARMING DAIRYING. 579 



" When .the hay was chanjiocl on lot 2, Docenibor 17, from mixed clover and 

 timothy to alfalfa, there was a slight increase in the milk tlow, which continued 

 during the alfalfa period. When the hay was changed from alfalfa to timothy, 

 there was a rapid decrease during the next 3 weelis of 32 lbs. of milk per 

 cow, and during the I'emaining 6 weeks of the timothy hay period the average 

 flow continued to drop until there was a further decrease of 19 lbs. . . . When 

 the hay was changed from timothy to alfalfa, April 22, and the cows turned 

 onto green rye, it is interesting to note how rapidly the milk production in- 

 creased to the same point as at the beginning of the preliminary period, 25 

 weeks previously, notwithstanding the fact that the grain had been reduced 

 from 12 to 8 lbs. . . . 



" Taking the average for the two lots, we find that they produced 17.7 per 

 cent more milk while fed alfalfa hay than while fed timothy. This great dif- 

 ference in favor of alfalfa over timothy was not only true of the lots, but of 

 each individual cow in the lots, which adds greatly to the evidence in favor of 

 alfalfa hay." 



The second demonstration consisted of a comparison of alfalfa hay and bran 

 with 6 cows for 19 weeks, on a basal ration of corn silage, clover hay, and 

 corn meal in proportions of 5 : 1 : 1. Each cow consumed nearly 8 lbs. of choice 

 alfalfa hay or of bran daily. During the alfalfa period the cows gave 9,753.7 

 lbs. of milk and 395.95 lbs. of butter fat, as contrasted with 9,514.5 lbs. of milk 

 and 400.73 lbs. of butter fat during the bran period. With the alfalfa ration 

 the cows " consumed 20 lbs. less corn meal, 114 lbs. less silage, 32 lbs. less clover 

 hay, and 15 lbs. less alfalfa hay than bran, because 1 cow was off feed. This 

 difference in the amount of feed is small and amounts to little more than 1 

 day's ration for the lot, and could not account for more than 75 lbs. of milk. 

 On the same feed basis, therefore, the cows produced 314 lbs. more milk and 3.5 

 lbs. less butter fat while on the ration containing the alfalfa hay. This shows 

 alfalfa equal to or a little better than bran for milk production, under the con- 

 ditions which are the same as those existing on most dairy farms." 



Test of soiling' crops for dairy cows, season of 1907, T. I. Maiks (Pennsyl- 

 vania Sta. Rpt. 1909, pp. 127-l.'i6, pi. 1, charts //). — This report on soiling crops 

 is a continuation of work previously noted (E. S. R., 20, p. 373). 



The crops tested during 1907 were rye, wheat, alfalfa, clover, timothy, oats, 

 oats and field corn, and Canada peas. Tables are given showing the yields of 

 green forage, air-dry matter, and protein, the amount fed per cow daily, and 

 the daily yield of milk and butter fat per cow. The average yields per acre of 

 air-dry matter from 1902 to 1907, of those crops which were grown 3 or more 

 years in this test, were as follows: Rye 3,800 lbs., alfalfa G,287 lbs., timothy 

 and clover 3,305 lbs., oats and peas 2,850 lbs., corn 4,009 lbs., cowpeas 3,351 lbs., 

 cowpeas and sorghum 4,512 lbs., and soy beans 2,871 lbs. The cowpeas and cow- 

 peas and sorghum were in each case grown after rye or wheat, and sometimes 

 after Canada peas and oats, so that in computing the amounts produced on 1 

 acre in a year these crops should be considered. There was but little difference 

 in the varieties of sorghum grown with the cowpeas. The so-called saccharine 

 varieties probably produced a larger percentage of leaves, whereas the Kafir 

 corn produced a stockier plant and supported the cowpeas a little better, which 

 is one of the purposes in growing sorghum. 



There was a wide variation in the number of pounds of green forage eaten 

 per cow. In the case of oats in 1907 the cows ate 107.4 lbs. of green forage per 

 day, containing 20.7 lbs. of air-dry substance. They ate only 48.6 lbs. of a 

 second cutting of alfalfa, which contained 14.3 lbs, of air-dry substance. The 

 smallest amount of air-dry substance eaten was as rye, namely, 11.9 lbs. They 



