No. 4.] SALT MARSH HAY. 47 



the percentage of fat in milk beyond what the change would 

 be with the same ration. That is, if you feed a cow on 

 exactly the same food from day to day and week to week 

 from the period of milking to the end, she will vary, some- 

 times accountably and sometimes unaccountably, the amount 

 of fat in her milk. That is on the normal ration ; Imt I 

 never have found a ration on which I could say I could 

 increase or decrease the amount of fat she would yield on 

 a normal ration. I feel confident that the per cent of fat is 

 not easily varied by a change of food, even by a radical 

 change of food ; and I doubt if it is possible to change it 

 by one-fourth of one per cent. 



Question. Should we feed grain in the morning on an 

 empty stomach, or feed this coarse fodder first, water the 

 cows, and feed grain immediately afterwards? 



Professor Whitcher. I would feed ensilage the first 

 thing in the morning. I would give a grain ration while 

 milking. Some cows can be milked much better while they 

 are eating grain, and some cannot. 



Mr. . I do not want mine to eat anything while 



milking. 1 want them to attend to me when I am milking. 



Professor Whitcher. If your cow is keeping her mind 

 intent on you, occasionally she will kick you over. If her 

 mind is pretty intent on the grain, the chance of her being 

 disturbed while being milked is very much less ; but that is 

 a matter of bringing up. I would have them eating their 

 grain all the while they are being milked. I would not feed 

 the grain on the ensilage. 



Mr. Appleton. What is the objection ? 



Professor Whitcher. Well, in the first place, there is 

 more or less waste of ensilage in any system of ensilage 

 feeding I have ever seen, and some grain would be wasted 

 if it is fed with ensilasfe. 



Mr. J. Q. Evans (of Amesbury). I am somewhat dis- 

 appointed that this discussion has drifted so far away from 

 salt hay. I hoped it would be devoted to that exclusively. 

 Our State Board has given but very little attention to the 

 subject lately, and I wish the speakers would come back to 

 the question that is properly before us. 



Secretary Sessions. I think Mr. Evans' criticism is highly 



