8 BULLETIN 945, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Both the animals on the experimental feeding and those used as 

 controls were weighed from time to time. We do not wish to lay 

 too much stress on the results obtained, because the manner in which 

 an animal gains weight in the period of a month or so before it 

 calves depends almost as much on its previous history as on the ration 

 fed at the time. The results in question are given in Tables 4, 5, 6, 

 and 7. They are rather irregular, but indicate, on the whole, that 

 the animals on alternated feeding with phosphate made somewhat 

 better gains than the controls. 



In a previous publication from this laboratory (13) a balance ex- 

 periment was described in which the animals received alternated 

 rations with phosphate for a part of the time. The alternated feed- 

 ing with phosphate had no perceptible effect on the amount of urine 

 or feces voided or on the water content or consistency of the feces. 



COW 17 C0VV49 COW 50 COW 54 



Fig. 3.— Comparison of milk yields of cows from the general herd after control and phos- 

 phate feeding. The columns show the amounts of milk given in 30 days soon after 

 calving; the lighter portions of the columns show the amounts of milk to be 

 expected after the phosphate feeding, using the yields after the control feeding as a. 

 basis, and taking into account the facts that some of the animals aborted and that the" 

 younger ones would show the increase normally occurring with the second calf (see 

 pp. 24 and 25) during the experimental feeding. 



We have the impression that the increase in size of the udder which 

 occurs before calving has generally appeared earlier and has been 

 more marked in the animals which have received the phosphate than 

 in the controls. There have, however, been exceptions to this rule, 

 and we do not feel inclined to insist very strongly upon it. We 

 realize keenly the difficulty of judging accurately where no exact 

 measurements are taken. 



