1913.1 



PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 31. 



149 



ration apparently produced the larger yield. This, however, 

 was due in a large measure to the fact that the cow Minnie 

 injured a teat shortly after starting in on the oat ration, and 

 her milk yield fell some 5 pounds per day. The most that 

 can he said is that an average of the three trials shows the 

 two rations to have produced substantially like results. This 

 was at first thought hardly to be expected, for the reason that 

 the oats contain some 30 per cent, of hull, and, other things 

 being equal, are rated as having an inferior feeding value to 

 the corn. It is believed that the experiments were not con- 

 ducted in such a way as to bring out sharply the difference in 

 the value of the two feeds. The animals were evidently receiv- 

 ing an excess of nourishment, so that the mere difference in the 

 nutritive value between 5 pounds of corn and oats was of no 

 particular moment. If the amount of hay and bran (basal 

 ration) fed had been noticeably less, so that the animals would 

 have received in addition to their maintenance requirements 

 perhaps three-fourths of the amount of food necessary for their 

 normal milk yield, the addition of the corn meal or oats would 

 have given a sharper indication of their respective nutritive 

 values. 



On the basis of the method suggested by Armsby,^ allowing 

 .5 pound of protein and 6 therms of energy for maintenance, 

 .05 pound of protein and .3 therm of energy per pound of 4 

 per cent, milk, the average cow in the three experiments re- 

 quired and received as follows : — 



Required. 



« Farmers' Bulletin No. 346, p. 16. 



