952 Summary of Agricultural Experiments, [march, 



Lot II. — Undecorticated cotton cake 3 lb., maize meal 1 lb., bran 

 1 lb., costing 15. gd. Lot III. — Gluten meal 3 lb., maize meal 1 lb., 

 bran 1 lb., costing 2s. per week. The lot receiving cotton cake gave 

 700 gallons of milk in the sixty days, those receiving bean meal gave 

 669 gallons, and those receiving gluten meal gave 648 gallons. Valuing 

 the milk at yd. per gallon, and allowing for the difference in the cost 

 of the foods, the cotton-cake lot made a relative profit of almost £2, 

 or about 10s. per cow more than the other two lots, which gave 

 practically the same return. The cows fed with gluten meal and bean 

 meal showed a greater tendency to lay on flesh than those fed with 

 undecorticated cotton cake. 



The percentage of fat in both night and morning's milk increased as 

 the lactation period advanced, but the solids not fat remained practically 

 constant. The various foods did not appreciably influence the percentage 

 of fat or solids not fat in the milk. 



The winter feeding experiment was commenced on 28th January, 

 1907, and was conducted with three groups of three cows each. In 

 order to eliminate, as far as possible, errors due to the individuality 

 of the cows, the groups were put alternately on the foods to be tested, 

 allowing a week between each change for the cows to get used to the 

 food. The rations consisted of hay 21 lb., mangolds 28 lb., bran meal 

 3 lb., maize meal 2 lb., and in addition 5 lb. of either bean meal, 

 undecorticated cotton cake, or gluten meal. The cost was is. i\d., is., 

 and is. id. per day respectively. When gluten meal was used, crushed 

 oats were substituted for maize meal to give variety, as gluten meal is 

 a product of maize. 



In nine weeks the three cows fed with gluten meal gave 551 gallons 

 of milk, those fed with bean meal 537 gallons, and with cotton cake 523 

 gallons. The gluten meal gave the greatest profit, while bean meal, 

 owing to its greater cost, was less profitable than cotton cake. The 

 nature of the food again had no appreciable influence on the percentage 

 of fat or of solids not fat in the milk. 



Butter and cheese were made from the milk in this experiment, and 

 it was considered that bean meal proved best for the production of 

 butter, being closely followed by the undecorticated cotton cake. Gluten 

 meal did not equal the other two. For cheese, bean meal was the best, 

 but gluten meal gave nearly equal results ; undecorticated cotton cake 

 was less satisfactory. 



Milk Records (Univ. Coll. of Wales, Aberystwyth, Rept. on Expts., 

 1906). — The College herd consisted of nine well-bred Welsh black cows, 

 two pedigree Herefords, and fourteen pedigree and non-pedigree Short- 

 horns. The milk has been weighed daily and tested monthly since 

 the autumn of 1904. The average yield of the Shorthorns during 1906 

 was 624 gallons, of the Welsh 545 gallons, and of the Herefords 481 

 gallons. As regards richness the Welsh cows were first, 25 lb. of their 

 milk being required to make 1 lb. of butter, the figures for the Short- 

 horns and Herefords being 26 and 27 lb. respectively. The larger 

 yield of the Shorthorns, however, made them the most profitable, as 

 they averaged 242 lb. of butter, against 219 for the Welsh and 178 

 for the Herefords. Records are given showing the yield of each 

 cow, and the percentage of fat for different periods. Eight of the 

 Shorthorns were Cumberland cows, and their average milk yield was 

 706 gallons. 



