WORCESTER SOCIETY. 205 



milked, and the barn shut up for the night. Tlie amount of 

 food consumed is put before the cattle at three meals. 



Inasmuch as I have taken the sole care of my stock, I can 

 say with confidence that the weights of fodder and milk are 

 correct. The certificates of the weights accompanying this, 

 are vouchers for the gain or loss in live weight of the animals 

 at the respective times of weighing. 



The committee will excuse an intrusion of my opinion upon 

 the advantage of cutting hay before feeding to stock, and in 

 what I say I have no reference to the experiment I have de- 

 tailed. My milking stock consisted of one cow which came 

 in the 29th of last October, the two trial cows, and one other 

 which calved last April, and is expected to calve again the first 

 of next April. Sometime before commencing this experiment, 

 I was feeding to my stock what would be called poor stock 

 hay with an allowance of roots. I commenced cutting this 

 hay for all my stock, young and old, (16 head,) occupying me 

 about 1|- hours daily. Almost simultaneous with feeding the 

 cut hay was an increase of milk, very perceptible as it was 

 milked in the pail. An inquiry was made by my wife, who 

 in person takes sole charge of the dairy, as to the cause of 

 this increase. An evasive reply was made. From day to day 

 the milk increased enough from the stock I have described, to 

 require the substitution of six quart for four quart pans, which 

 had been previously used. I think I am within bounds in 

 saying the increase was over a pint daily per cow, occasioned, 

 to the best of my knowledge, solely by the use of cut hay. 

 As to the general condition of my stock, the committee, should 

 they desire to look at it, can judge. 



Whether, in your judgment, this may be the most or the 

 least successful of the experiments in determining this vexed 

 question, is of little consequence. I hope it may be of such 

 character as to induce to other more general and longer ex- 

 tended trials. 



I should have added that the hay used was English, what is 

 called " old field," that it was universally fed dry, that the 

 times of feeding were regular throughout the entire period, 

 being 6 A. M., 1 and 6 P. M., and that the animals were weigh- 

 ed at each time early in the morning, say from 7 to half past 

 8, and always before being allowed to drink. 

 March 12, 1852. 



