440 Report of the First Assistant of the 



' The data for two short periods in October and November which 

 show the effect of another change of food from beets to corn silage 

 are given in table IX. Eight cows were used that had been in milk 

 on the average 7.3 months and were of the average age of 4.8 years. 



During the latter part of October mixed hay was fed at noon, 

 beets morning and night, and a mixed grain (No. 35) consisting of 

 six parts wheat bran, three parts gluten feed, and one part each of 

 corn meal, wheat middlings and Unseed meal O. P. The grain 

 represented 40.3 per cent, and the beets 43.6 per cent, of the cost of 

 the ration. The grain supplied 35.2 per cent, and the beets 46.6 

 per cent, of the total digestible nutrients in the ration. Of the ration 

 for the rest of the month the nutritive ratio had been the same, the 

 same grain and hay had been fed, but green alfalfa and sorghum 

 fodder had been fed instead of beets. 



During November corn silage took the place of beets. No change 

 was made in the grain or hay. Of the cost of the ration, the grain rep- 

 resented the same percentage as the silage, that of 41.5. Of the 

 total nutrients the grain supplied 35.0 per cent, and the silage 48.0 

 per cent. 



By the change from beets to silage the amount of dry matter in 

 the food consumed was somewhat increased although there was a 

 falling off in the amount digestible. The nutritive ratio was 

 made wider and the fuel value somewhat less. The cost of the 

 ration was reduced. The diminution in the milk flow following the 

 change in the ration was very slight and the per cent, of fat was 

 higher. 



The cost of milk and fat production was lessened. There was 

 some loss in the live weight during October, and during November 

 an average gain of 63 pounds. The greatest daily average milk 

 yield for the first mentioned period was 29.5 pounds and the smallest 

 9.5 pounds. The highest average percentage of fat was 6.25 and 

 the lowest 2.70. For the last period the extremes in daily avei'age 

 milk yield were 29.2 pounds and 12.8 pounds, and in average per- 

 centage of fat 6.45 and 3.1 0. 



In the same table. No. IX, are included for convenience of future 

 reference, the data obtained with these same cows for two periods 

 immediately preceding those just mentioned. During the month 

 of September alfalfa fodder was fed in the morning, mixed hay at 

 noon and corn fodder at night. The mixed grain (No. 34) consisted 

 of five parts wheat bran, five parts corn meal, four parts gluten meal, 



