164 THE COST OF RAISING CALVES 



From the experiments reported by other American experi- 

 ment stations, we have taken the results obtained with heifer 

 calves, and calculated the cost of food on the basis of the New 

 Hampshire schedule of prices. 



The Massachusetts State Experiment Station in its Annual 

 Report, for 1S93, describes an experiment with various sub- 

 stitutes for milk-fat, while feeding skim-milk. 



Four heifers in the lot were fed during an average period of 

 80 days, or up to the age of 12 weeks, on whole milk, skim- 

 milk and a variety of grain mixtures. The average weekly gain 

 for one calf was 9.7 lbs, and the average weekly cost of food 

 would have been 41 cents. These results are very close to 

 our own figrures for calves of the same ao^e. 



The Iowa Experiment Station, in Bulletins 14 and 19, also 

 reports results of feeding different grains with skim-milk. In 

 Bulletin 14, two heifers between the ages of 6 weeks and 20 

 weeks, one a Shorthorn and the other a Holstein, in 13 weeks, 

 consumed each, 1,456 lbs. skim milk, 127 lbs. flax-seed, 118 

 lbs. grain, consisting of ground oats, ground barley, corn 

 meal, and bran, and 166.5 lbs. hay. The average weekly gain 

 in weight for each calf was 12.7 lbs., and the average weekly 

 cost of food on our basis would have been 6S cents. 



In Bulletin 19, six heifers between the ages of 8 and 17 

 weeks, consumed in 60 days, an average per head of 1,200 lbs. 

 skim-milk and 105 lbs. of grain, either linseed-meal, ground 

 oats, or a mixture of corn-meal and ground flax-seed, 9 parts 

 of the former to one part of the latter. 



The average gain per week was 7.7 lbs. for each calf, and 

 the average weekly cost of food would have been 41.5 cents. 



The average gain for both lots would be 9 lbs. and the aver- 

 age cost per week would be 48.1 cents. 



The average cost of our calves during this period was 45.4 

 cents per week. 



The Minnesota Experiment Station, in Bulletin 35, gives 

 results obtained with 8 heifer calves from two days old up to 

 five and one-half months. The average feeding period occu- 

 pied 21 weeks. The average quantity of food consumed by 

 one calf during this period was 132 lbs. milk, 2,118 lbs. skim- 

 milk, 18.4 lbs. bran, 16.6 lbs. flax-seed, 25.3 lbs. oats, 4.4 lbs. 



