1891.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 33. 17 



Five cows, grades of various description, all of fair milk- 

 ing qualities, were selected for the trial. Two had dropped 

 their last calves one month before the beginning of the 

 observation, one five months, and two from eleven to twelve 

 months. They differed but one year in their respective ages, 

 which were from six to seven years. 



English hay, rowen, fodder corn, corn stover, corn ensi- 

 lage, carrots and sugar beets furnished at dift'erent times the 

 main bulk of the daily fodder ration ; while corn meal, wheat 

 bran and both kinds of linseed meal alternately served as 

 supplementary feed stuffs to secure a desired high nutritive 

 character for the entire diet. The daily quantity of the 

 grain feed, of roots and of hay, in case corn ensilage fur- 

 nished largely the coarse feed, was in each case a definite 

 one, decided upon before ; it was in each case entirely con- 

 sumed. The daily consumption of the coarse portion of the 

 particular fodder combination on trial, as hay when fed 

 alone, rowen, fodder corn, corn stover and corn ensilage, 

 depended on the appetite of each individual animal. It 

 varied usually somewhat in quantity in case of different 

 cows. Care was taken to offer to each a liberal quantity. 

 The unconsumed portion was weighed back each day, 

 and subsequently accounted for in the daily feeding 

 record. 



The fodder corn, corn ensilage and corn stover were 

 obtained from the same variety of corn, "Pride of the 

 North," a dent corn. The ensilage corn and the fodder corn 

 were of a corresponding stage of growth ; i.e., with kernel 

 beginning to glaze. The corn stalks were in every case cut 

 into pieces from one and one-half to two inches in length 

 before beins; fed. 



The entire experiment extended over six successive 

 months, and was subdivided into nine distinct periods. 

 The changes in daily diet were made graduall}^ as customary 

 in well-conducted feeding experiments. The weekly weights 

 of the animals on trial were taken on the same day, in the 

 morning, before milking and feeding. 



The adopted valuation of the different fodder articles is 

 based on their local market price per ton of 2,000 pounds, at 

 Amherst : — 



