114 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



feed value in all of them, but these feeds had never been 

 compared as to quantity and suitability — the per-acre idea 

 with its unit of investment and labor had never been ap- 

 plied. 



Only Possible Choice of Crops. 



A careful study of these facts made it evident that the 

 demonstration area must be devoted almost entirely to corn 

 and alfalfa, and this was done with the exception of a small 

 amount of soiling crops some years, and rye as a catch crop 

 after corn for pasture in the fall and spring. The acre- 

 ages of corn and alfalfa were about equal, as these great 

 companion crops almost exactly supplement each other to 

 form a balanced ration. 



All of this seems sound reasoning and necessary deduc- 

 tion, but how does it work out? This is what the demon- 

 stration was for — to carry good theory over into practical 

 results and indisputable evidence. And this is exactly what 

 the demonstration did under all the varying conditions and 

 practical difficulties of six successive years, as the details in 

 coming chapters will show. 



The Highest Producer. 



High yielding crops, good feed, and efficient cows all 

 combined cannot give the maximum dairy production un- 

 less these factors are accompanied by or balanced with 

 good care. Good care consists in keeping the cows comfort- 

 able. The cows in the Milk Per Acre demonstration at the 

 University of Illinois were allowed to run loose on the lower 

 floor of the barn. This proved an excellent practice during 

 the six years of this demonstration. We had found by ex- 

 perience with the regular university herd that the way to 

 make cows most comfortable was to run them loose. 



Special Advantages in "Running Loose." 



An investigation of this practice had been previously 

 made in dairy herds not only in Illinois but also in adjoining 

 states. The advantages were found to be that the cows 

 have greater freedom in getting up and lying down, they do 



