station Tests with Feeds for Dairy Cows. 



425 



fodder corn is apparent; for while two tons of timotliy hay per 

 acre is a good return, these investigators report that the fodder 

 corn used in the trial yielded at the rate of 8,885 pounds per 

 acre. The trial suggests the possibility that timothy hay con- 

 duces to the storage of fat in the body of the cow, while fodder 

 corn turns the fat into the milk. (250) 



653. Corn stover versus mixed hay and clover hay. — At the 

 Wisconsin Station ^ the writer compared corn stover with mixed 

 hay and clover hay for dairy cows, under the following conditions: 

 A crop of yellow dent corn yielding 4,490 pounds of stalks when 

 dried in the shock, and 4,941 pounds of ears per acre, was har- 

 vested in the usual manner. After drying, the corn was husked 

 and the stalks reserved for feeding. Uncut stalks were fed in 

 comparison with uncut hay. The mixed hay consisted of one- 

 third clover and two- thirds timothy. The clover hay used was 

 from medium red clover, cut early to preserve the leaves and 

 heads in good condition. Four good cows were used, forming 

 two lots of two each, one lot getting hay, while the other was fed 

 stover. After three weeks the feeding was reversed, and the trial 

 continued for the same period. The concentrates of the ration 

 consisted of five parts corn meal and seven parts wheat bran by 

 weight, fed dry. The results of the trial are here summarized. 



Comparing corn stover with mixed hay, when each was sup- 

 plemented by 280 pounds of corn meal and 392 pounds of wheat 

 bran, it was found that — 



2,374 pounds of com stover returned 1,120.7 pounds of milk, making 57 



pounds of butter. 

 755 pounds of mixed hay returned 1,064 pounds of milk, making 56.1 



pounds of butter. 



Comparing corn stover with clover hay, grain being fed as 

 above, it was found that — 



1,867 pounds of corn stover returned 1,079.3 pounds of milk, making 



52.2 pounds of butter. 

 643 pounds of clover hay returned 1,059 pounds of milk, making 54.5 



pounds of butter. 



The returns being practically equal, we conclude that one ton 

 of mixed clover and timothy hay is worth three tons of corn stover, 

 or corn stalks, fed as were these. 



1 Ktpt. 1884. 



