Repeated examinations of the two kinds of milk used in the trial 

 had proved that the skim-milk contained on an average one-fifth, or 

 20 per cent., more solid matter of a similar character than the 

 creamery buttermilk at our disposal. This excess of solids in the 

 skim-milk, judging from our results, seemed to be wasted in our 

 mode of feeding; for 714 pounds of corn meal and 982 gallons of 

 skim-milk (with ten per cent, of solids) had produced 510 pounds of 

 dressed pork, whilst 718 pounds of corn meal and 985 gallons of 

 creamery buttermilk (with eight per cent, of solids) had yielded, under 

 otherwise corresponding circumstances, 515 pounds of dressed pork, 

 as the total amount from three pigs on each side. 



To account if possible for the less satisfactory returns of the 

 skim-milk diet as compared with that of the creamery buttermilk the 

 second feeding experiment was planned, — see for details III annual 

 report, page 23. It was decided to calculate the amount of corn 

 meal to be fed in the new experiment with reference to an eqtial 

 amount of solids in both kinds of milk and not with reference to any 

 equal measure of both kiyids. 



The average results of this trial seemed to account quite satisfactori- 

 \y for the above stated difference in solids of both kinds of milk ; for 

 2250 pounds of corn meal fed with 1533 gallons of skim-milk had pro- 

 duced 990| pounds of dressed pork, whilst 2211 pounds of corn meal 

 fed with 1899 gallons of creamery buttermilk had yielded, under 

 otherwise corresponding circumstances, 889|- pounds of dressed 

 pork, as the total returns from six pigs on each side. It was state'd 

 on that occasion, that in our opinion a more judicious distri- 

 bution of an increased proportion of corn meal, in case of the skim- 

 milk diet had evidently rendered the latter, pound for pound, more 

 efficient during the second experiment, as compared with the first. 



Having adopted the same local market p'^'ices of the three articles, 

 which served in the daily diet during both experiments, — corn meal, 

 per ton, S22.50 ; skim-milk, 1.8 cts. per gallon ; buttermilk, 1.37 cts. 

 per gallon, — it was found that the cost of feed consumed, per pound 

 of dressed pork produced, in the first experiment amounted in case of 

 the creamery buttermilk diet to 4.6 cts., in case of the skim-milk diet 

 to 5.8 cts. ; whilst in the second experiment it amounted in case of the 

 former to 4.2 cts., and in case of the latter to 4.85 cts. In calculat- 

 ing the cost of the feed consumed in each case on the above stated 

 marA;e^7)?*ices, the creamery buttermilk had proved the cheaper article ; 

 the higher nutritive value of the more concentrated skim-milk from our 

 dairy had been more than offset by the loioer market p)rice of the 

 creamery buttermilk. The adoi)tion of an equal mai-ket price per gal- 

 lon of skim-milk and of creamery buttermilk, 1.37 cts. i)er gallon, 

 would have caused a reduction in the al>ove stated cost of feed, per 

 pound of dressed i)oi-k, of from .05 to .75 cts. in favor of the skim- 

 milk. 



Before proceeding with the description of three succeeding 

 feeding experiments it seems advisa1)le to offer a few explanato- 



