44 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



might not be able to get ; but in general I should say that 

 salt hay is not a good ration to keep cows on the whole 

 year. 



Mr. HoYT. I am feeding a herd of dairy cows for the 

 milk. I feed in the morning salt hay with one quart of 

 cotton-seed, one quart of gluten and two quarts of shorts. 

 At noon I feed corn fodder ; at night the same quantity of 

 grain ; and I am satisfied that I am not using the right 

 ration, and would like to know where I fail. 



Professor Whitcher. I think you cannot aflbrd to feed 

 that amount of shorts when other grains are as cheap in 

 relation to shorts as they are this year. For instance, I sup- 

 pose you pay about seventeen dollars a ton for your shorts. 

 You can buy Bufl'alo gluten feed for $20. What I have 

 used for comparison is Pope's cream gluten. It is the best 

 I have ever used. Now, to go back to the question as to 

 w^hat change 3^ou can make, I should not feed that amount 

 of shorts. Of course, if you have tried it and find you get 

 better results from that than you do from any other grain, 

 that settles it, but I should not understand it. I should 

 rather have the same amount of money put into middlings 

 than into shorts. I would rather have whole wheat than 

 either. 



Mr. Decker. What does the gentleman mean by shorts? 



Professor Whitcher. Wheat bran. 



Mr. Stetson. AVould you use corn fodder from which 

 the corn has been husked ? 



Professor Whitcher. There are some difficulties in the 

 way of feeding corn fodder. It is in a very variable condi- 

 tion, — generally a bad condition. It is hard to cure so 

 that it won't mold after it goes into the barn ; but if you 

 have it in good condition, it may be used with good results. 

 As to feeding corn fodder, I would not attempt under any 

 circumstances to use it alone. I would feed it in such a 

 combination as ration B, using ten pounds of English hay 

 and ten pounds of corn fodder, and then in addition to that 

 I should use this same grain ration. Of course I might 

 figure out one hundred different rations, varying the pro- 

 portions, using some corn, but I refer to this as a typical 

 ration. I would use this ration. B. I would pay three 



