56 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 174. 



The pumpldii Iiad a tendency to increase temporarily the fat percentage 

 in the milk, due e^^dentIy to the oil contained in the seed. 



5. The seeds appeared to be free from any injurious effects upon the 

 animals when fed in the amounts found in the entire fruit, contrary to 

 the notion prevalent among many farmers. In foreign countries they are 

 often dried and ground, and serve as a very nutritious and harmless food, 

 if not fed in too large amounts. 



6. It is not considered good econom}^ to grow pumpkins exclusively as 

 a food for either cows or pigs, because of their high water content and 

 poor keeping quality. For the latter reason it is advisable to feed them 

 in the late fall or early winter. In one instance a yield of 9 tons is reported 

 when they were grown exclusively, on which basis they would jdeld about 

 2,000 pounds of actual food material (digestible organic matter plus fat 

 multipUed by 2.2) as against 3,000 pounds derived from corn. Their 

 place in the farm economy seems in a way to have been discovered 

 by the farmer, namely, in their limited cultivation together with corn. 



7. They may be fed cut reasonably fine at the rate of 30 to possibly 50 

 pounds per head daily, in place of 6 to 10 pounds of ha}', in addition to 

 hay and a reasonable amount of grain. It is not advised to feed them 

 with other watery foods such as roots and silage. 



They also may be fed (cut fine) to pigs, mixed with a combination of 

 equal parts, by weight, of corn meal and fine wheat middlings, or with a 

 mixture, bj' weight, of 95 parts corn meal and 5 parts of digester tankage. 

 It is doubtful if it pays to cook them. If fed in too large amounts dailj"" 

 they furnish too much bulk but insufficient nutriment, and as a result 

 the animals are likely to lose in flesh. 



