1890.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 33. 65 



cases either in part or in the whole as substitutes for English 

 hay. 



The daily rations of grain fed consisted throughout the 

 entire period, in all cases alike, substantially of the same 

 materials ; namely, corn meal or corn and cob meal, and 

 wheat bran, which were supplemented, in the majority of 

 instances, more or less by gluten meal, to secure as far as 

 practicable the desired comparative nutritive character of 

 the diet. The daily diet per head consisted of from eighteen 

 to twenty or more pounds of hay, or its equivalent in part 

 or in the whole of dry vegetable matter of the above- 

 mentioned bulky fodder articles, and from six and one-half 

 to nine and three-quarters pounds of grain feed, usually com- 

 posed of corn meal or corn and cob meal, and wheat bran, 

 with or without gluten meal (three and one-fourth pounds). 



The ruling local average market price of each fodder 

 article has been used for the determination of the cost of 

 feed consumed. The estimates of fertilizing constituents 

 contained in the various fodder articles used are based on 

 our own analysis, and on their local market price during the 

 past year. Twenty per cent, loss of the fertilizing constit- 

 uents contained in the feed has been allowed for the amount 

 sold with the milk. 



The period of observation varied, in case of different cows, 

 from 2(jl to 747 days ; the average daily yield of milk per 

 head for the whole period of observation varied from 7.7 to 

 12.4 quarts. 



Three cents per quart of milk produced has been adopted 

 as the average price realized for the entire year, in case of 

 milk contracts in our vicinity. 



The essential details of our observations are subsequently 

 recorded in tabular form, under the following headings : — 



1. History of cows. 



2. Statement of the amount of each kind of fodder ingredients 

 consumed by each animal, with total cost of feed for period of 

 observation. 



3. Local market value per ton of each fodder article used. 



4. Value of essential fertilizing constituents contained in the 

 various articles of fodder consumed. 



5. Summary of financial record of cows. 



6. Some conclusions suggested by the financial record. 



