44 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



cow. Beyond that I am not prepared to go on the subject 

 of ensihige in connection with the dairy. 



Mr. Shepard. In regard to the feeding of roots, have 

 jon come to any definite conchision as to the vahie of roots 

 as feed for milch cows — turnips, for instance? 



Mr. Alvord. Tliat is another wide question. I should 

 answer it in the same general way, if I attempted to answer 

 it at all. The value in dollars and cents it would be almost 

 impossible to fix. The value of a root ration in the feed of 

 of a cow is in the thrift, health and general condition of the 

 animal. In her better appetite for her other food, rather 

 than in any direct effect, in the ordinary quantity in which 

 roots are fed in this country, upon the milk production. 

 But I should say that there is no difficulty, w4iether the 

 farmer is selling milk or making butter, in feeding enough 

 carrots, parsnips, beets, turnips or cabbages (I do not in- 

 clude onions) to a cow to materially benefit her, without any 

 perceptible efiect upon the butter product. 



Question. Have you ever made any experiments to show 

 how much hay is required to make a quart of milk ? 



Mr. Alvord. It depends a good deal upon the cow. 

 When you ask how much coal it takes to run a locomotive, 

 you must remember that there are a good many railroads, 

 and a very large number of locomotives, and strike an aver- 

 age. When you talk about a single one, you may be very 

 wide of the mark as regards another, or the general average. 

 And so in the case of a cow, I should say it depended, first, 

 upon the cow, and, secondly, on the hay ; so that to get at 

 any sort of definite answer to that question would require a 

 vast number of experiments, sufficient to eliminate the great 

 margin of liability to error that exists in talking about hay, 

 and in talking about cows. 



Question. I only asked to see whether, from your large 

 experience, you could answer the question. 



Mr. Alvord. It needs a larger experience than we have 

 had in this country. 



Mr. HiLL^iAN of Marlborough. I do not wish to intrude at 

 ail upon this meeting, but I wish to add one word, hoping it 

 may help somewhat in disposing of this milk question. I 

 will confine myself to the topic of the essay to which we have 



