6 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 291 



relatively large amount of roughage and the relatively small amount of grain. 

 Some of them did, but more did not, which accounts for the slightly lower feed 

 consumption by this group. 



Table 2. — Average Composition of Feeds 



(Per Cent) 



Number Crude Crude N-free Crude 



Material of lots Water Ash protein fiber extract fat 



Hay 14 



Rowen 7 



Corn silage 3 



Green oats and peas 3 



Green millet 2 



Green corn fodder 3 



Green soy beans 1 



High protein grain 12 



Low protein grain 12 



Table 3 shows that with respect to amounts of digestible protein eaten the two 

 groups are not far apart, .09 pound per cow daily, or 3.8 per cent, in favor of the 

 low roughage group. Respecting total digestible nutrients, this group ate on the 

 average 1.09 pound, or 6.3 per cent, more daily than did the high roughage group. 

 They ate also .46 pound, or 1.7 per cent, more dry matter daily per cow than did 

 the high roughage group. These inequalities in feed intake are commented on in 

 the general discussion toward the end of the bulletin. 



Records Kept 



All cows were weighed at the first of each calendar month, the average of two 

 weighings on consecutive days being taken unless the weights differed by more 

 than twenty pounds, in which case a third weighing was made. 



All milk was weighed, and a five-day composite sample was taken each month 

 from each cow in milk and analyzed for total solids and fat. 



All feeds were weighed for each animal each day and any feed refused was 

 weighed and recorded. All feeds were sampled from time to time and complete 

 fodder analyses were made according to the methods of the Association of Of^cial 

 Agricultural Chemists. 



Summaries were made each month and at the end of the year for the whole 

 year, so that cost of milk production at any given time was definitely ascertained. 



Careful breeding records were kept and notes were made from time to time on 

 the general appearance of the cows. 



RESULTS OF THE INVESTIGATION 

 General Appearance 



A summary appears in Table 4. The low roughage group maintained tlieir 

 general appearance on the whole better than did the high roughage group. This 

 was due probably to the slightly greater intake of nutrients by the low roughage 

 group. With the exception of two individuals, Nos. 35 and 88, which maintained 

 an excellent appearance all through the experiment, the cows in the high roughage 

 group showed a tendency to be rough coated and rather thin. 



