FEED UTILIZATION 163 



the purpose very well. The three-group arrangement would provide, for 

 example, for cows yielding from 1 to 3 liters of milk, 3 to 10 liters, and 

 over 10 liters daily, respectively. 



Below is given an illustration of a five-group arrangement : 



Group I Group II Group III Group IV Group V 



Feeds 15-20 Liters 10-15 Liters 5-10 Liters 1-5 Liters Drv Cows 



of Milk of Milk of Milk of Milk 



Clover hay ) 10 8 8 



Meadow hay quantity 10 7-8 



Straw y given ad lib. ad lib. ad lib. ad lib. ad lib. 



Concentrates in pounds 8 6 4 2.5 2.0 



Beets J 80-90 60-70 40-50 40 15 



The concentrates consist of 3 parts wheat bran, 4 parts cottonseed 

 meal or cake, 4 parts sunflower meal or cake and 4 parts peanut meal 

 or cake. 



When group feeding is not practicable in every detail, the same basal 

 feed may be given to all animals (hay, straw, chafif, beets), and the con- 

 centrates may be adjusted to the requirements of the individual, without 

 disturbing the arrangement of the cattle. According to Geissler, one may, 

 for instance, give one measure of feed to all cows yielding 5 liters (or 

 quarts) of milk, 2 measures to those yielding from 6 to 8 liters (or 

 quarts), etc. A name plate should be provided for each cow, giving the 

 usual information with regard to age, breeding date, etc., and temporary 

 chalk marks may indicate the number of measures full of concentrates 

 for each animal. 



The co.st of the feed should of course bear a certain relation to the 

 animal product, in order to insure the expected pecuniary advantage. 

 The fact that one animal may be a more economical or profitable feeder, 

 produpe more milk, meat or muscular energy from a given amoimt of 

 feed than another, has long been common knowledge. For decades this 

 fact has been regarded with indifference. Even today we have as yet 

 no proper conception of the extent to which feed utilization (especially 

 in dairy cattle) can be increased or the degree to which productive 

 power may be developed. 



In experiments with feed utilization, especially as conducted on dairy 

 cattle, it has frequently been shown that the expense of feeding not in- 

 frequently even exceeds the returns. The Danish control or testing 

 associations, first organized about twenty years ago, deserve much credit 

 for drawing general attention to these conditions. Cow-testing associa- 

 tions, organized on the Danish plan, and which have as one of their ob- 

 jects the identification of every "passive" animal in the district, have now 

 been established in nearly all civilized countries. (In the United States 

 since 1905.— Tranlator.) 



The following illustration shows to what remarkable extent the "cost of produc- 

 tion" may vary : 



The Danish Control Association Ailing showed (1896) that among 54 cows the 

 best two, A and B, produced 5,268 and 7.862 pounds of milk and 234.4 and 309.95 

 pounds of butter, respectively, at a cost of 62.6 and 58 ore (("ircmci little less 



