308 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



whole-milk calves consumed 58 pounds of grain and 31.8 pounds 

 of butter fat in the milk. At this rate a hundred pounds of grain 

 is equivalent in feeding value to 48 pounds of fat. After the 

 calf-feeding experiment had closed, the calves, which were steers, 

 were put on the feed lot and fed for a period of seven months. 

 The results of this experiment are very interesting. The calves 

 in the skim-milk lot made the best gains, those that were fed on 

 whole milk ranked second, while the lot raised by the dams stood 

 last. 



Skim-milk calves will not look quite so thrifty for the first 

 few months as calves fed on whole milk or allowed to^ run with 

 their mothers, but at the end of the year there will not be much 

 difference in size; if any difference, the skim-milk calves will be 

 better, provided they have been properly fed. The skim-milk 

 calf becomes accustomed to eating grain and hay early in life, 

 consequently when it is weaned the change of feed is not so no- 

 ticeable as it is with the whole-milk calf, and it does not suffer a 

 setback at this time. The calf that has been fed on whole milk 

 has not been accustomed to getting very much of its nutrients 

 from grain and hay, and invariably does not gain as rapidly as 

 does the skim-milk calf for the first two or three weeks after it 

 is weaned. 



The study of the following table will reveal the fact that 

 there is very little difference between the composition of whole 

 and skim milk : 



Whole milk. Skim milk 



Water •. 87. 10% 90.50% 



Fat 3.90 .10 



Casein and albumin 3.40 3.57 



Sugar 475 4-95 



Ash 75 .78 



The skim milk differs from whole milk in that most of the 

 fat has been removed. The other constituents are proportionately 

 increased. The fat in milk is the least important constituent as 

 far as calf raising is concerned. On the other hand, the fat is 

 the most important constituent in relation to the manufacture of 



