AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN NEW HAMPSHIRE 19 



by hand were scattered throughout the herd. In another herd of 30 cows, 

 the failure to group cows resulted in about 600 feet of extra travel. 



On most farms, additional milker unit pails are required to take full 

 advantage of the fast-milking procedure. Certain operators have learned 

 to shift the milker head from a full to an empty pail very quickly and the 

 machine is in operation on another cow within a short period. With extra 

 pails at hand, the milking machine unit is in operation while one of the men 

 carries the full pails to the milk house. 



The best combination of men and machines varies from farm to farm, 

 due to differences in size of herds and variations in personnel. On a few 

 farms, the labor of older men or young boys required adjustments in the 

 usual pattern of the milking practice. The data indicate that the combina- 

 tion of two single units and two men does not make the most effective use 

 of man labor. Three single units and two men make a good combination. 



One operator did very well with two single units, and another man 

 handled one double unit to advantage. Two young men, using two double 

 units, milked 30 cows in Z^Yz minutes (a very good record). In one large 

 dairy, four single units were too much for two men when using the rapid- 

 milking procedure ; but the operator had so skillfully combined the labor 

 of three men in the combined tasks of milking, preparing cows, stripping, 

 carrying, and cooling milk, that the system was very efficient. 



H. C. WooDwoRTH, K. S. Morrow, M. E. Tarbell 



Dry Rations for Raising Dairy Calves and Heifers 



Twenty calves were used in a study of dry rations which contained no 

 animal protein, and in which pulverized limestone and salt were added as 

 mineral supplements. Two of these animals were used in conducting four 

 nitrogen and energy balance experiments in which the vegetable-protein 

 ration was compared with a ration containing 20 per cent skim milk powder. 

 Eight of these animals, paired as to breed, age, and sex, are being used to 

 further compare the vegetable protein ration to the ration containing an 

 animal protein of 20 per cent skim milk powder. Results have been deter- 

 mined by means of growth and general appearance and by relative blood 

 content of carotene. Vitamin A, nicotinic acid, ascorbic acid, cholesterol, 

 non-protein nitrogen, glucose, calcium and phosphorus. 



The all-vegetable protein dry calf ration has produced at least normal 

 growth with Holstein and Guernsey calves. Results with Jerseys were not 

 as satisfactory, but were as good as results previously obtained on dry calf 

 rations containing 25 per cent skim milk. There was no significant differ- 

 ence in digestibility of the protein or energy between the two rations, but 

 in both cases there was a slightly greater positive nitrogen balance on the 

 vegetable protein ration. Levels of the various blood constituents for 

 which anah'ses were carried out were not significantly different from those 

 obtained on calves fed the usual animal proteins or the normal values re- 

 ported in the literature. 



Results so far indicate that dry calf rations which contain soybean oil 

 meal as a major source of protein, and dried distillers' solubles as a source 

 of nicotinic acid and the other members of the Vitamin B complex will give 

 as good results as the older-type ration which contains cottonseed meal, 

 linseed meal, and dried skim milk. When ingredients which contained 



