No. 4.] THE PROFITABLE DAIRY COW. 77 



consume, without getting tliem out of condition, economy 

 of production being not considered. During the third milk- 

 ing period they tried to feed all the coarse fodder each cow 

 would readily eat, and all the grain that could be eaten in 

 addition, such as would give return at the pail. I might say 

 here that this third method really represents our policy at 

 Rockdale farm, — to feed liberally, yet economically. These 

 cows for coarse fodder were fed red clover, timothy hay and 

 silage. When the cows w^ere on pasture, they also got a 

 grain ration, until the milk yield became very small. 



"Now, what was the result of this careful experiment, 

 covering four years, bearing, as it did, on the health and 

 vigor of the herd and its producing capacity ? Well, I 

 notice in the first place that the total yield of milk and 

 butter fat was in nearly every case very much increased 

 while the cows were at the experiment station, under satis- 

 factory care. Of the 10 cows, it is shown that by liberal 

 feeding the yield was increased 46 per cent in milk and 55 

 per cent in fat. These 10 cows were not the best in the herd 

 of 21 ; they simply represented the average of the herd. 

 Here is a fair sample of the way those cows did, taking 

 Polly for example : the first year she produced 3,143 pounds 

 of milk and 177 pounds of fat; the second year she pro- 

 duced 5,526 pounds of milk and 346 pounds of fat ; the third 

 year she produced 4,802 pounds of milk and 283 pounds of 

 fat ; the fourth year she produced 2,945 pounds of milk and 

 184 pounds of fat. Some of the other cows show an even 

 greater influence from feed and care than this. 



" In reofard to the cost of the milk and fat during these 

 diiferent feeding periods, it is interesting to note that the 

 average cost of 100 pounds of milk the first period on the 

 Gibson farm was 53 cents, the fat being 12 cents a pound ; 

 the second period, when economy was not considered, it was 

 only 65 cents per 100 for the milk, and 14 cents a pound 

 for the fat ; while in the third period of good feeding the 

 cost was reduced to 45 cents per 100 for the milk and 10 

 cents a pound for the butter fat. Another interesting thing 

 in this bulletin that I see is the difference in the a})peai-ance 

 of the cows, due to generous feeding and care. 



