RAISING DAIRY CATTLE 425 



In trials by Eckles, Ragsdale, and Swett at the Missouri Station 3 it has 

 been found that Holstein calves fed about 75 per ct. as much protein as 

 advised in the Wolff -Lehmann feeding standards make normal gains, but 

 that in some instances a more liberal supply of protein than this is needed 

 with Jerseys. On lower amounts of protein the growth of both breeds 

 was usually retarded. 



Definite conclusions regarding the minimum amount of protein needed 

 for normal growth in cattle cannot be made till further data are secured. 

 However, the results to date indicate that, while the amounts of protein 

 advised in the Wolff-Lehmann standards are somewhat higher than 

 necessary for normal growth, no great reduction can be made without 

 checking the gains of the animals. These facts are taken into considera- 

 tion in the recommendations made in the Morrison feeding standards for 

 growing dairy cattle and beef cattle. (Appendix Table V.) 



680. Skim milk vs. whole milk. Calves fed skim milk in place of whole 

 milk may not be quite so fat the first few months and hence may not make 

 quite as large gains, but they usually are just as growthy and by the time 

 they are 18 months to 2 years old, will be as large in frame and as heavy 

 as if they had been fed whole milk until weaning time. For example in a 

 trial by Spitzer and Carr at the Indiana Station 4 one lot of 12 calves was 

 fed whole milk at the rate of 10 Ibs. of milk daily per 100 Ibs. live weight 

 and another lot received the same amount of skim milk, the other feeds 

 being the same for both lots. During the first 140 days the calves fed 

 whole milk gained 1.91 Ibs. a head daily, and those fed skim milk 1.73 Ibs. 

 The calves were then turned on pasture, and after this the calves which 

 had been fed skim milk made slightly more rapid gains than those that 

 had been fed whole milk. At the age of 18 months the calves which had 

 been fed skim milk averaged 594 Ibs. in weight, while those which had 

 received whole milk averaged only 582 Ibs. 



In a similar trial Hooper of the Kentucky Station 5 fed one lot of 6 

 calves whole milk in a 79-day trial, while another was changed in a few 

 days to skim milk. Each lot received in addition 0.5 Ib. per head daily 

 of a mixture of equal parts corn meal, bran, and linseed meal, besides 

 what hay they would eat. The skim-milk calves made slightly larger 

 gains than those fed whole milk, and were just as thrifty. 



681. Supplements to skim milk. Skim milk differs in composition from 

 whole milk only in having had most of the fat removed. Consequently, 

 the proportion of protein to other nutrients is much higher in skim milk 

 than in whole milk, which is itself a protein-rich food. "While the 

 nutritive ratio of whole milk is 1 :3.9, skim milk has the very narrow 

 nutritive ratio of 1 :1.5. Accordingly, in choosing supplements to feed 

 with an ample amount of skim milk, the need is not for additional 

 protein, but for an abundance of energy-giving, easily digested carbohy- 

 drates or fat to replace the fat removed from the whole milk. Not 



3 Mo. Buls. 147, p. 29; 151, p. 33; 172, pp. 21-2; and 179, p. 23. 

 4 Ind. Bui. 246. 5 Ky. Bui. 171. 



