900 EXPEEIMENT STATION RECOED. 



author states that mites and lice are more dangerous for these birds than for 

 other classes of poultry and that precautions should he taken to keep them 

 free from such pests. 



DAIRY FARMING— DAIRYING— AGROTECHNY. 



Gluten and cotton-seed meal with silage, hay, and stover for dairy cows, 

 A. M. Soule and J. R. Fain (Virginia Sta. Bui. 150, pp. SO, fin*. 16). — The 

 author reports a feeding experiment and discusses at some length the feeding 

 of dairy cows with special reference to Virginia conditions. 



Four lots of cows each were fed experimentally for 120 days. The cows 

 in lot 1 consumed on an average 8.18 lbs. of gluten and corn-and-cob meal, 5.73 

 Tbs. of silage, and 0.57 lbs. of hay; the cows in lot 2. 0.01 lbs. of cotton-seed 

 and corn-and-cob meal, 5.71 lbs. of silage, and 0.15 lbs. of hay : the cows in 

 lot 3, 8.82 lbs. gluten and corn-and-cob meal. 5.70 lbs. silage, and 2.01 lbs. of 

 stover ; and the cows in lot 1, 0.85 . lbs. of cotton-seed and corn-and-cob meal, 

 5.52 lbs. of silage, and 3.35 lbs. of stover. Gluten meal*was therefore contrasted 

 with cotton-seed meal and hay with stover. 



Combining the groups with reference to the hay and stover, it was found 

 that the lowest amount of food consumed per gallon of milk and pound of 

 butter produced was shown by the lots fed hay, and that the net cost of a gallon 

 of milk and a pound of butter was less with the hay ration than with the stover 

 ration. The difference, however, was not marked, indicating clearly, according 

 to the author, that a good quality of corn stover can often be fed with practically 

 as good results as timothy hay. 



Combining the lots with reference to the gluten meal and cotton-seed meal 

 the results showed a slight difference in favor of the cotton-seed meal. The 

 total amount of food consumed, as well as the net cost per pound of butter and 

 gallon of milk, was, however, practically the same in each case. At the prices 

 quoted, however, it was considered that the cotton-sqed meal should be given the 

 preference. 



« T ne experiment also seems to indicate quite clearly that foodstuffs may be 

 properly compared on the basis of the digestible protein they contain, which 

 is in line with a number of feeding experiments previously made, and would 

 seem to be a safe conclusion to draw." 



Dried beet pulp as a substitute for corn silage; dried beet pulp v. dried 

 molasses beet pulp; dried molasses beet pulp v. hominy meal, G. A. Billings 

 (New Jersey Sta*. Bui. 189, pp. 24, pi. 1)- — A comparative test of dried beet 

 pulp aud corn silage was made with two lots of two cows each during 2 periods 

 of 15 days each. 



The beet-pulp ration consisted of 9 lbs. of pulp, 10 lbs. of mixed hay, 10.5 lbs. 

 of mixed feed, and the silage ration of 45 lbs. of silage, 5 lbs. of mixed hay and 

 the same amount of mixed feed. The pulp ration produced 10.2 per cent more 

 niilk and 9.7 per cent more butter than the silage ration, but the cost was 

 greater. On the silage ration the cost of 100 lbs. of milk was 2.8 cts. less and 

 the c^st of 1 lb of butter 0.01 ct. less than when the pulp ration was fed. 



In the second experiment of a similar nature a comparison was made of dried 

 beet pulp and dried molasses beet pulp, and in the third test dried molasses beet 

 pulp was compared with hominy meal. The last two experiments presented 

 here in abstract form have been noted from another source (E. S. R., 17, p. 394). 



Alfalfa hay v. purchased feeds, G. A. Billings (New Jersey 8tas. Bui. 190, 

 pp. 19-31, pi. 1). — A feeding experiment was made with 8 cows during 00 days 

 for the purpose of securing additional data on the value of home-grown alfalfa 

 hay. Previous comparisons of home-grown and purchased feeds were reported 



