I 142 CATTLE 



tain much contradictory evidence. The difficulty of eliminating all factors 

 except the watery character of the ration is believed to be largely re- 

 sponsible for the conflicting nature of the statements. 



The experimental work to determine the effect of water upon the com- 

 position of milk was conducted at the Dairs' Division farm, Beltsville, Md., 

 and included three different lactation periods. The four following methods 

 for supplying rations of widely different water content were tried : a) a 

 full allowance of drinking water as compared with a limited supply, the ra- 

 tion being alike in both cases ; b) a heavy ration of turnips as compared with 

 one of dry forage ; c) wet beet pulp as compared with dr>' beet pulp ; d) 

 green crimson clover {Trifolium incarnatitm L.) as compared with the cured 

 hay. Eight cows were used in the experiments conducted by the first me- 

 thod, four in the second, two in the third, and foiir in the fourth. 



In every case except when the crimson clover was fed the amount of 

 water drunk by the different animals as well as the difference in the water 

 content of the forages under comparison, was determined. 



With all except one cow in the wet versus dry beet -pulp group, the 

 amount of water in the dry ration did not exceed 75 per cent, of that sup- 

 plied b}^ the wet ration, and with some cows that were given a limited al- 

 lowance of water the dry ration contained less than 60 per cent, of the wa- 

 ter content of the full-allowance ration. One cow in the wet versus dry 

 beet-pulp group received, when the dry ration was fed, 88 per cent, of the 

 water content of the wet ration. 



In the green versus cured crimson-clover group, the former contained 

 71.23 per cent, water and the latter 8.33 per cent. The daily ration of green 

 clover varied from 40 to 50 pounds per head, and of the cured hay from 16 

 to 22 pounds per head. 



Certain individual cows at times produced milk having an abnormal 

 fat content. This eff'ect was apparently independent of the ration, as it 

 occurred not only with the high water-content ration but with the dry as 

 well. A stud}^ of the data obtained in the four series shows that the wa- 

 tery character of the ration has no effect upon the fat content of the milk. 

 There was even less variation in the other milk constituents than in the fat. 

 This indicates that rations of varying water content have no effect upon 

 the composition of milk. 



13 references bearing on the subject are quoted. 



886 - The Value of Maize Silage, Fed in Big Rations, in the Feeding Economy of 



Cattle. — Allison II. O., in The Breeder's Gazette, \o\. 1,XIX, p. 1068. Chicago, May 18, 



1 1) I () . 



The agricultural test farm of Colombia (University of JNIissouri) re- 

 cently sold on the Chicago market 5 lots each comprising 6 head of butcher's 

 cattle fattened with different quantities of concentrates (maize, linseed 

 and cotton seed cakes), ensilaged maize forage, and lucerne hay ad lib. 



The following results bring out clearly the value of ensilaged maize 

 in the feeding economy of fattening oxen, according to the prices per bu- 

 shel quoted on the market for the foods used : maize, 70 cents ; maize sil- 

 age, % 4.50 ; cotton seed meal, % 37 ; linseed oil meal § 37 ; lucerne hay § 14 



