11 



OAT HAY. 



Gain. Loss 

 lbs. lbs. 

 Chinchilla, Jr., period 3, mixed and oat hay to oat 



hay ......... .69 



Frost, Jr., period 2, mixed and oat hay to oat hay . .14 



Chinchilla, Jr., period 3, oat hay to clover . . .06 



Frost, Jr., " " " " . . .33 



While oat hay gave rather less favorable results than did tiie 

 other fodders, it nevertheless makes a fair showing. 



CHANGES IN TIIE QLTALITY OF MILK. 



What was the effect of these various changes in the character 

 of the food upon the quality of the milk ? To the considera- 

 tion of those who believe that the fat contents of milk can be 

 materially varied by changes in the character of the food given 

 cows, I would commend an inspection of the average per- 

 centages of fat as given in the preceding tables. That there are 

 variations in the amount of fat in the milk when we compare 

 period with period, is true, but it does not follow that these 

 variations are due to the source of the cow's food. 



It has been proven that a ration containing about two and 

 one half pounds of digestible albuminoids and about thirteen 

 and one half pounds of digestible non-albuminoids, is essential 

 to maintain a cow, giving milk and weighing one thousand 

 pounds, in a normal condition — that is, to keep her in good 

 bodily condition and maintain a full tiow of milk. Such a 

 ration we may well call a normal or balanced ration. These 

 figures are not arbitrary, within reasonable limits they may be 

 varied without serious results, and perhaps sometimes with 

 positive advantage. But suppose we give a ration containing 

 only one and one half pounds of digestible albuminoids and a 

 proper or greater amount of non-albuminoids. We are nowgiv- 

 insT the cow a ration that does not contain within-it an amount 

 of albuminoids sufficient to meet the demands of nature. She is 

 certainly now in an unnatural or abnormal condition, and we 



