20 



E. DEMONSTRATION EXPERIMENT. 



Piatts Food vs. Corn ]\Ieal and Wheat Middlings. 



An experiment was recently carried out at this station to compare 

 the effect of equivalent amounts of Pratts food* and a mixture of 

 corn meal and wheat middlings on the yield and quality of milk. 

 The object of the trial was to prove the claims of the Pratt Food 

 Company that their food will " produce richer milk and more of it ; " 

 in other words, to determine the economy of using this food accord- 

 ing to directions in place of ordinary grains and by-products of simi 

 lar composition. 



Flan of the experiment : Four cows that had calved in the early 

 autumn were divided as equally as possible in groups of two each. 

 Each animal was fed essentially the same basal ration consisting of 

 first cut hay, rowen, distillers' grains and fine middlings. In addi- 

 tion, two of the cows were given two measures (one-half pound) of 

 Pratts food daily, and the other two the same amount of an equal 

 mixture of corn meal and wheat middlings to offset the food value 

 of the Pratts food. Midway of the first half of the test the quantity 

 of Pratts food and of the corn and middling mixture was increased 

 to three-quarters of a pound daily. In the second half of the test, 

 the cows that had been receiving Pratts food in the first half, were 

 given the corn and middlings mixture, and vice versa. Thus the 

 four cows received in addition to the regular basal ration, Pratts 

 food and the corn and middlings mixture for four consecutive weeks. 



77/ 1' general care and feeding of the animals: The sampling of the 

 feeds and milk was carried out as in previous experiments, every 

 precaution being used to insure accuracy of results. The test was 

 made in the experiment station barn, which is especially set aside for 

 such work. In order to economize space, summaries of the results 

 only are presented. The detailed record of each animal is on file. 



•This food was selected, not because it was thought to be better than other foods of a 

 similar nature, but because it is widely and persistently advertised as possessing remark- 

 able nutritive and curative properties. 



