620 



Roots v. Silage for Dairy Cows. [Oct., 



It is evident from these figures that the cows fed on 60 lb. 

 of roots with 8 lb. of concentrated foods daily, other foods 

 being identical, gave 562 lb. {i.e., about 56 gallons;^ more milk 

 than the cows getting 60 lb. of silage and 4 lb. only of con- 

 centrated foods. This is probably a real difference and outside 

 any possible experimental error. As the experimental period 

 was 56 days, it follows that the difference in favour of the 

 root-fed cows was Jth of a gallon daily per head. 



Taking into consideration the cost of the two rations fed, 



we get the following: 



Silage Ration, 



60 lb. Silage 



2 „ Dried Grains 



2 Decorticated Cotton Seed Meal 



10 „ Chaffed Barley Straw 



14 „ Kale 



Estimated or ( in 

 case of purchased, 

 foods) actual 

 cost per ton. 



£ s. d. 



1 7 0* 



10 

 17 



3 

 1 10 



Total estimated cost of food daily per cow 



Cost of 

 Qxianiity fed. 

 in raiion. 



d. 



8.70 

 2.12 

 3.64 

 3.21 

 2.24 



19.91 



Boots Ration. 



Estimated or (in 

 case of purchased 

 foods) act^ial 

 cost per ton. 



60 lb. Yellow Globe Mangold 



4 ,, Dried Grains 



4 „ Decorticated Cotton Seed Meal 

 10 „ Chaffed Barley Straw 

 14 „ Kale 



Total estimated cost of food daily per cow 



£ 

 1 

 10 

 17 

 3 

 1 



d. 

 0* 





 

 

 



Cost of 

 Quantity fed 

 in ration. 



d. 



6.42 

 4.24 

 7.28 

 3.21 

 2.24 



23.39 



The total cost of the food of 6 cows for 8 weeks on the silage 

 ration would thus be 6 x 8 x 7 x 19.91d. = £27 17s. 5d., while 

 that of the 6 cows for '8 weeks on the root ration was 6x8x7 

 x23.39d. = £32 14s. lid. 



In the case of the silage ration, 600 gallons of milk were 

 produced, so that the cost of food only per gallon of milk 

 (excluding all other items such as labour, depreciation in value 

 of cows, &c.), works out at 11.15d. per gallon. 



The roots ration produced 656 gallons of milk, and the cost 

 for food only works out at 11.98d., i.e., almost Is. per gallon of 

 milk produced. 



* The cost of production is dealt with in an article in this Jouimal for July, 

 1916, p. 333. The figure then arrived at, viz., 13s. 6d."per ton for silage, has 

 been doubled. Similarly, the pre-war cost of production of mangolds has 

 been taken at 10s. per ton and the figure doubled. 



