A STUDY OF RATIONS FED TO MILCH COWS. 



A STUDY OF RATIONS FED TO MII.CH COWS IN 

 CONNECTICUT. 



BY C. S. PHELPS. 



The study of rations fed to milch cows by several farmers in 

 this State discussed on the following pages is similar to that 

 conducted during the winter of 1 899-1 900, a full account of 

 which was given in the last (1900) Report of the Station. The 

 objects of the experiment were ( i ) to study the kinds of ra- 

 tions in use by farmers: (2) to point out to farmers by means 

 of simple tests on their herds the advantages of a more rational 

 system of feeding than is in common use; and (3) to study the 

 economy of feeding according to the yields of butter fat. 



The studies of thirty-seven dairy herds made by the Station 

 in cooperation with farmers in different parts of the State prior 

 to 1900, covering a period of seven years, and described in pre- 

 vious Reports of the Station, have led to two general deduc- 

 tions in regard to the feeding practices of Connecticut dairymen. 

 First, the tendency has been to pay too little attention to the 

 proportion of protein used in feeding milch cows. Rations rel- 

 atively low in protein have predominated, although narrow ra- 

 tions with liberal proportions of protein have generall}' proved 

 more economical. Second, too little effort has been made to 

 feed according to the productiveness of the cows; either the 

 quantity of milk or the yield of butter fat would seem to be a 

 more rational basis on which to calculate the ration than the 

 live weight of the animal. The first of these deductions was 

 dwelt upon in the summary of the experiments of five years 

 given "in the Annual Report of the Station for 1897. The 

 second deduction was discussed in the Annual Report for last 

 year (1900) and is further considered on the following pages 

 in the report of the studies made during the winter of 1900— 

 1901. 



