DAIEY FARMING DAIRYING. 379 



functions of a cow. Inferior milk-producing cows are duo mainly to inheritance 

 rather than treatment received when young. 



The experimental data given and a compilation of the records of the station 

 hei-d for 22 years go to show that the highest milk production on the average 

 is secured from cows well matured before lactation begins. The highest pro- 

 duction among 95 cows was found to be from those calving between the ages 

 of 28 aud 32 months, the lowest for those calving under 20 mouths old. 



Heavy feeding when young tended toward the development of larger and 

 somewhat coarser animals than lighter rations. At the time of calving the 

 conformation of the animal raised on a heavy grain ration was somewhat dif- 

 ferent from that of one raised on a ration of roughage. When both were 

 placed on the same ration after calving this difference soon disappeared. Early 

 calving tended toward a smaller and more refined type of cow than resulted 

 from calving a year later. 



The opinion of breeders that a heifer raised largely on roughage has a 

 greater capacity for handling feed when mature was not substantiated by 

 this investigation. A decided difference existed for a short time after calving 

 but this gradually disappeared aud no distinction between the two groups 

 could be noted after two months. It was found that there was no difference in 

 the amount of nutrients required to produce a pound of milk by animals of 

 the two groups. 



From these results it is concluded that it is possible to influence the rate of 

 growth, size when mature, and type to some extent by the liberality of the 

 ration during the growing period, and the age at first calving. Within limits 

 of variation the character of the ration with reference to the amount of nutri- 

 ents supplied does not exert any appreciable effect upon the milking func- 

 tions of the cow when mature. The age at first calving is a factor of some im- 

 portance with reference to the development of the milking function in the cow. 

 Calving at an extremely early age is detrimental to the best development of 

 the milking function while nothing is gained by too great delay. 



The relative valu-e of daii-y feeds, E. S. Savage (In Off. Rpt. on Feed Stuffs, 

 [etc.,] 1914, Cohimbus, Ohio: Agr. Com. Ohio, Div. Agr., 1915, pp. 57-61). — The 

 author points out some discrepancies in the various feeding standards, and 

 suggests^ the importance of securing a simple and reliable method of calculat- 

 ing the relative value of the different feed stuffs. 



Physical conformation of cows and milk jrield, J. A. Haebis (Jour. 

 Heredity, 6 {1915), No. 8, pp. 34S-350, figs. 3).— The author comments on the 

 data collected by Korreng (E. S. R., 28, p. 472), which indicated an intimate 

 negative relationship between width of nether jaw of dairy cows and milk 

 yield. It is suggested that Korreng's measurements were taken on a group 

 of animals that are not racially homogeneous. A mixture of heavy beef cattle 

 giving a low milk yield and light-built dairy cattle would theoretically give 

 just such a result as this. The author warns against conclusions of this sort. 

 What is really needed is a means of predicting yield from more readily meas- 

 ured characters within a pure race. 



Results of milking at unequal periods (Dairy, 27 (1915), No. 321, pp. 230, 

 2ul). — The results of experiments conducted by D. A. Gilchrist at Ai-mstrong 

 College are cited, these demonstrating that the longer the period between milk- 

 ings the poorer the quality of the milk. When the periods were approximately 

 equal the quality of the morning's and evening's milk was very similar. The 

 total quantity of milk appeared not to be influenced by the equal or unequal 

 periods of milking. 



Problems of the milk standard (Dairy, 27 (1915), No. 322, p. 262).— Data. 

 collected at the milk competition at the Royal Show at Nottingham showed a 



