191 i.J Summary of Agricultural Experiments. 929 



Trials with six cows were commenced on February 6th, 1909, and 

 continued for twelve weeks. The cows each received 4 lb. soy bean 

 cake for the first and last three weeks, and 4 lb. decorticated cotton 

 cake for the middle six weeks., in each case along with other identical 

 foods. The results were practically the same; the amount of milk 

 produced, the amount of fat contained in the milk, and the live-weight 

 of the cows, not differing appreciably. As, however, the cost of the 

 soy bean cake was considerably less than that of the decorticated cotton 

 cake, the financial result was in favour of the former. 



A comparison of the effects of feeding milch cows with decorticated 

 cotton cake and soy bean cake was carried out at Offerton Hall, the 

 County Durham Dairy Research Station, for fourteen weeks from 

 January 2nd till April 9th, 1910. Five lb. soy bean cake were fed daily 

 per head to one lot of five cows and 5 lb. decorticated cotton cake daily 

 to another lot of five cows. In each case the cake formed part of an 

 otherwise identical daily ration of roots, fodder, &c. The feeding of 

 the two lots of cows was reversed at the end of the first seven weeks. 



The results were that practically the same amount of milk was 

 _given by each lot of cows, and the percentage of fat present in the milk 

 was practically the same in the two lots throughout the trial. Both 

 lots of cows lost in weight during the first seven weeks of the trials, 

 but gained in weight during the last seven weeks. The effects of 

 the cakes on the two lots of cows were therefore practically the same 

 throughout the trial. * 



Comparative Feeding Values of Meadow Hay and Oat Straw 

 (Northumberland Agric. Expt. Station, Cockle Park, Bull. 15). — This 

 experiment was earned out in the winter of 1908-9. Its object was to 

 test the comparative feeding values of meadow hay and oat straw as 

 grown at Cockle Park. A feeding trial was carried out with two lots 

 of six cattle, and from the results it was calculated that with oat 

 straw at 35s. a ton, the relative value of meadow hay is just about 60s. 

 a ton. In other words, oat straw was found to have seven-twelfths, or a 

 little more than a half, the value of hay. 



In the trial the deficiency of feeding constituents in the oat straw 

 as compared with meadow hay, was made up by adding Indian cotton 

 cake and maize meal to the former, the feeding value of the various 

 foods being calculated by the Wolff-Lehmann feeding standards, and 

 it is remarked that the results showed how nearly correct these feeding 

 standards are. They show also that very many foods can be substi- 

 tuted for each other, provided the rations contain equal amounts of 

 •digestible food constituents. 



Dairying Experiments. 



Manufacture of Early-Season Cheeses (Univ. of Leeds, Bull. No. 

 77).- — The value of early-season cheeses is usually lower than that of 

 the later made ones, chiefly on account of the absence in the former 

 of the ideal flavour, aroma, colour, and sometimes texture. The flavour 

 and aroma of these early-season cheeses may become strong, and the 

 colour is impaired by the appearance of reddish brown spots or of 

 whole "tracks " of a colour varying from yellow to almost black. The 

 latter discolorations are generally along the lines of cracks and fissures. 



3 T 



