1909.] 



PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 31. 



165 



Food Cost of Milk and Butter. 



Character of Ration. 



Total 

 Milk. 



One Hundred 



Pounds 



Milk. 



One Quart 



Milk 

 (Cents). 



One Pound 



Butter 



(Cents). 



Wheat bran, 

 Alfalfa, . 



Percentage decreased cost of bran over al- 

 falfa ration. 



$49 01 



53 07 



9.20 



$1 21 

 1 32 

 9.20 



2.72 

 2.97 

 9.20 



19.5 



21.8 



9.0 



The several feed stuffs were figured at the same j^rice per 

 pound, excei^ting the wheat bran and alfalfa; the former cost 

 $22 and the latter $30 a ton in the market. On this basis the 

 alfalfa ration would increase the cost of milk and butter some 9 

 per cent. If the bran and alfalfa were figured at the same price 

 a ton, the food cost of the product would vary very slightly. 



Approximate Fertilizer Ingredients in Bations. 



Wheat Bran Ration. 



104.54 pounds nitrogen, valued at 18Vi cents a pound, equals 

 79.3(i pounds potash, valued at 41,4 cents a pound, equals . 

 48.52 pounds phosphoric acid, valued at 4 cents a pound, equals 



Alfalfa Ration. 



82.32 pounds nitrogen, valued at 181,^ cents a pound, equals 



68.30 pounds potash, valued at 4Vi cents a pound, equals 



21.02 pounds phosphoric acid, valued at 4 cents a pound, equals 



$19 34 

 3 37 



1 94 



$24 65 



$15 23 



2 90 



84 



$18 97 



Owing to the excess of fertilizer ingredients, especially nitro- 

 gen, in the wheat bran, the bran ration would furnish a some- 

 what richer manure. This fact should not be entirely lost sight 

 of in comparing the merits of the two feeds. 



Conclusion. 



1. Wheat bran contained nearly 3 per cent, more protein and 

 very much less fiber than did alfalfa meal ; bran also has fully 

 100 pounds more digestible matter to the ton, and noticeably 

 more of the elements of fertility. 



2. The present experiment indicates that, pound for pound, 

 wheat bran was slightly superior to alfalfa for the production 

 of milk. Both feeds act as slight laxatives, and are well suited 

 to dilute or distribute the heavy concentrates. 



