28 



A. — Effect of Feed on Quantity. 



Liberal and Meagre Rations. Most dairymen have learned that, under 

 liberal feeding, the dairy cow is stimulated to the best milk returns within 

 her capacity. So generous is the cow in this particular that dairymen will 

 concede they rarely supply their animals sufficient feed to induce the largest 

 flow of milk possible with all members of the herd. With scanty rations, or 

 those of faulty character, the normal milk flow of the cow is diminished, 

 though she will still yield this fluid for a time while undergoing starvation. 

 Milk being designed for the support of the young, Nature has provided for 

 its supply to the limit of animal endurance. 



Influence of Character of Rations. The abundance and proportion of the 

 several nutrients in the ration, and the quantity of innate matter it contains, 

 may effect the flow of milk. This is illustrated by an experiment at the 

 Ontario Agricultural College by Dean, in which six cows were divided into 

 three lots of two each. The ration marked (I.) consisted exclusively of 

 coarse feed, supplying more carbohydrates and less protein than the cow 

 required. It contained a large quantity of inert matter. Ration (II.) con- 

 tained an ample supply of carbohydrates and an over-supply of protein, the 

 latter being contained in rich, heavy, oil meals. Ration (III.) contained an 

 excess of nutrients. By alternating the rations for the three groups of cows, 

 the influence of a decreasing milk flow was eliminated from the results, which 

 were as follows: 



Feeding an Improperly-compounded and a Well-halanced Ration to Dairy 

 Cows. — Ontario Agricultural College. 



Ration. 



Total 



digestible 



matter. 



Nutritive 

 ratio. 



Average 



live 

 weight. 



Daily 



yield of 



milk. 



Fat. 



(A.) Silage, 50 lt)S.; hay, G 

 lbs.; bran, 5 lt)S. 



(I.) Silage, 30 lbs.: oat 

 straw, 20 lbs.; hay, 

 10 1T)S. 



(II.) Hay, 20 lt)s.; oil meal, 



4 llDs.; cotton - seed 

 meal, 5 lbs 



(III.) Hay, 20 lt)s.; pea 

 meal, 4 1T)S.; oat meal, 



5 lt)s.; corn meal, 8 lbs. 



lbs. 

 10.79 



15.89 



14.76 



20.27 



lbs. 

 1: 8.4 



1:25.6 



1: 3.i) 



1: 6.8 



lbs. 

 1.068 



1,014 



1,091 



1.110 



lbs. 

 29.7 



218 



29.3 



31.8 



lbs. 

 3.82 



3.67 



3.49 



3.25 



Under (II.) there was abundant nutrition, but the oil meals given were 

 there was an average daily milk yield of 29.7 pounds. When ration (I.) 

 was fed, the cows dropped to 21.8 pounds of milk. In this ration we find a 

 liberal allowance of carbohydrates, with too little protein and too much inert 

 matter. Though the cows were filled with feed, they were poorly nurtured. 

 Under (II.) there was abundant nutrition, but the oil meals given were 

 heavy in character and too liberal In quantity for the best results, though 



