46 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



years in feeding has been in connection with ensilage ; and 

 that question of wetting is different in that case than it would 

 be if we were feeding with dry fodder. For instance, a cow 

 will consume not quite half the water at the trough when she 

 is eating ensilage that she will if she is on dry fodder, so 

 there is not the necessity of wetting the grain. I do not 

 know that there is any necessity of wetting grain under any 

 circumstances, but in feeding ensilage I know there is no 

 necessity of wetting. 



Question. I would like to inquire what the difference in 

 value would be between a certain quantity of salt hay and 

 an equal quantity of swale hay. 



Professor Whitcher. That question about swale hay is 

 very similar to a question, how much a cord of wood is 

 worth. It depends upon whether it is hickory wood or 

 pine. Swale hay, as you know, is very variable. Some 

 kinds of swale hay are worth more than herds grass hay. 



Question. Why so? 



Professor Whitcher. Because it will produce more milk. 

 Straight herds grass I consider a pretty poor hay for the 

 production of milk, but some people do not. 



Mr. C. E. Ward (of Buckland). In Franklin County 

 we produce milk for butter, and also to sell. Those who 

 sell milk will not feed cotton-seed, but feed largely of bran, 

 while the men who are in the creamery feed cotton- seed. Do 

 you consider the bran feeders are at fault ? They think that, 

 while cotton-seed will not increase the quantity of milk, it 

 will increase the richness of the milk. 



Professor Whitcher. I think they are mistaken. I made 

 the statement to the Vermont Dairymen's Association ten 

 years ago or more, that if they would appoint a committee 

 of ten men who would agree on some one method of feeding 

 that would increase the per cent of fat in milk by one-fourth 

 of one per cent, I would test thoroughly and report the 

 results to them. They did not produce the ration they 

 wanted me to feed, but I did carry on a long series of ex- 

 periments of feeding a very one-sided ration, a ration which 

 contained nothing but corn meal, another containing nothing 

 but gluten meal, and feeding others that had cotton-seed ; 

 and I have never yet found any ration that would change 



