170 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Commercial feeding- stuffs, J. L. Hills, C. H. Jones, and F. M. Hollister ( Ver- 

 mont Sta. Bui. 110, pp. 11-20).— In addition to the analysis of 250 samples of com- 

 mercial feeding stuffs in connection with the inspection, some microscopical exami- 

 nations were also made. 



The feeding stuffs included cotton-seed meal, linseed meal, gluten meals and feeds, 

 dried distillers' grains, oat feed, hominy chop and similar products, provenders, 

 wheat offals, mixed feeds, malt sprouts, ground malt, hay feed, proprietary feeds, 

 meat meal, and calf meal. 



During the year attention was directed especially to the collection of samples of 

 wheat offals, more particularly the so-called mixed feeds, as well as unlabeled and 

 unidentified brans and middlings. The grade of such feeds "appears to be worse this 

 fall than at any time since the law went into effect. It behooves buyers more than 

 ever before to be judicious in their purchases, particularly of wheat offals, lest they 

 buy goods laden with ground corn cobs or other offal, oat hulls, clippings, or the like." 



Sugar in the feeding of animals, E. Clrot (Le sucre dans V alimentation des 

 animaux. Paris: L. Lavaur, 1905, pp. 380; rev. in Rev. Sci. [Paris'], 5. ser., 3 {1905), 

 No. 14, pp. 429-431). — A summary and discussion of data on the importance of sugar 

 as a feeding stuff. 



The cattle industry in Germany and elsewhere, J. Hansen and A. Hermes 

 {Die Rindviehzucht im In- und Auslande. Leipsic: P. C. Schmidt cfc Co., 1905, vols. 1 

 and 2; abs. in Yrtljschr. Bayer. Landw. Rat., 10 {1905), No. 2, pp. 242, 243).— The con- 

 dition of the cattle industry in different countries, methods followed to build up the 

 industry, and related questions are taken up in these volumes. 



Feeding trials, J. G. Haney and O. H. Elling {Kansas Sta. Bui. 128, pp. 304- 

 307). — Two feeding trials were made at the Fort Hays Branch Station. 



In the first trial the comparative value of corn, barley, and wheat with alfalfa hay, 

 corn with sorghum hay, prairie hay and oat straw, and mixed grains and mixed 

 hays for the production of baby beef, was tested with 7 lots of 8 calves 8 to 10 months 

 old, the feeding period covering 182 days. All the calves were fed at first a ration 

 of a pound of grain and ten pounds of coarse fodder, the grain being increased and 

 the coarse fodder correspondingly decreased until they were given all they would 

 eat up clean. 



The average daily gains ranged from 1.23 lbs. per head on corn and sorghum hay 

 to 1.85 lbs. on corn and alfalfa hay, the grain required per lb. of gain ranging from 

 4.04 lbs. on a wheat and alfalfa hay ration to 7.17 lbs. on corn and oat straw. The 

 smallest amount of coarse fodder per lb. of gain, 3.54 lbs., was also noted with the last 

 ration, and the largest gain, 5.92 lbs., with the corn and sorghum hay ration. The 

 estimated profit per lot ranged from $27.09 with the lot fed corn and sorghum hay, 

 to $109.74 with the lot fed corn and alfalfa hay. 



"There was a more marked difference in the appearance of the lots than the 

 results show, though the rank would be in the same order as the daily gains. The 

 alfalfa lots fed much more evenly than the sorghum, straw, or prairie-hay fed lots." 

 An account was kept of the cost of labor involved in caring for the cattle and grind- 

 ing their feed. On an average it amounted to 2 cents per head per day. 



In the second test pencil laria stover and Kafir-corn stover were compared with 

 two lots of 8 cows each. The pencillaria was somewhat overripe when cut, and part 

 of the crop had been irrigated. The Kafir-corn stover was of fair quality. In the 

 22 days of the test there was an average gain of 6.9 lbs. per head on the Kafir-corn 

 stover, and an average loss of 30 lbs. on the pencillaria stover, the total amounts 

 eaten in the two cases being 4,990 and 2,520 lbs., respectively. 



"During the experiment it was easily observed that the cows getting pencillaria 

 were not doing so well, were getting thinner and in poorer condition, but their 

 appetite seemed to be good. However, it is believed that had the experiment been 

 carried longer . . . they would have shown a lack of appetite for the feed, both 

 Kafir corn and pencillaria." 



