FORTY-THIRD ANNUAL CONVENTION 207 



Plan of Investigation 



The scrub cows and their calves were given the same care, 

 feed, and shelter as the purebred dairy cattle in the herd. This 

 environment has remained fairly constant during the eight years 

 work. 



The milk from each cow was weighed each milking and a 

 composite sample taken from which the per cent of fat was 

 determined every seventh day. During the past two years the 

 cows have been weighed every Monday morning so that it has 

 been possible to feed what was required for milk production 

 plus body maintenance. 



The concentrates in the ration were weighed out each day 

 to each cow producing milk. Amounts of silage and hay were 

 estimated from occasional weighings. These feeds were charged 

 at average prices and the same prices charged for all the years. 

 The cows were credited with the butterfat at an average price 

 of thirty-one cents per pound and skimmed milk at twenty-five 

 cents per hundred. Pasture and soiling crops were charged at 

 $6.00 per acre in addition to cost of labor, seed, etc., for the lat- 

 ter. The net returns are secured by deducting from the income 

 for butterfat and skimmed milk the cost of all feeds. No charge 

 was made for labor or shelter nor credit given for calves and 

 manure. 



Some of the cows were in calf to a scrub bull when they 

 reached the farm and one of them dropped a heifer calf which 

 was later used in the experiment. Purebred sires of the Guern- 

 sey, Holstein and Jersey breeds were used on these scrub cows 

 and all heifer calves grown out under the same conditions as the 

 purebred calves on the farm. With the establishment of an 

 Ayrshire herd, an Ayrshire bull is also being used on some of 

 the cows. 



Some of the scrub cows dropped bull calves every year as 

 long as they were in the herd, thus the number of heifers for use 

 in this work has been limited. The bull calves w^ere killed or 

 vealed. The only ones saved were by the scrub bull brought 

 with the cows and used one year. These calves were used in a 

 feeding test reported in the latter part of this bulletin. Heifers 

 by purebred sires were bred to other purebred sires of the same 



