ioi2 Summary of Agricultural Experiments, [march, 



It is remarked in the Report that too much importance must not 

 be attached to the results of the trials, as the number of animals in 

 each lot was small. With this reservation, the following conclusions 

 are stated : — 



(1) The Molascuit cattle did better than the root-fed animals. This 

 reverses the results obtained from last year's experiment, when the 

 root-fed beast did rather better than those receiving Molascuit. Bearing 

 in mind the small number of animals used, the results of both years 

 would indicate that Molascuit may reasonably be used to replace roots 

 for fattening bullocks, in the proportion of i lb. of Molascuit to 14 lb. 

 of roots, when Molascuit is quoted somewhere about ^5 per ton, and 

 when roots are valued on the farm at js. 6d. per ton. 



(2) The bullocks receiving a larger amount of cake, i.e., 8 lb., 

 did better than the two lots receiving only 4 lb. This result is, how- 

 ever, chiefly due to the very high gain, 3*01 lb. per day, made by one 

 bullock. This was more than double that, of either of the other two 

 bullocks in the same lot. 



(3) There appears to be little difference between the animals tied in 

 stalls and those running loose in a covered yard, as far as rate of 

 increase in live-weight is concerned. This corroborates the results 

 obtained at Woburn, and at various experimental stations in America. 



Feeding Cake to Cows on Grass (Jour. South-E astern Agric. Coll., 

 No. 18, 1909). — In this experiment an attempt was made to obtain some 

 further information on the much-discussed question of feeding concen- 

 trated food to milking cows during the summer, in addition to a 

 plentiful supply of grass. The idea of giving additional food is that 

 as the summer advances the grass loses succulence and digestibility, 

 and is not such an ideal food for milking cows as it is earlier in the 

 season. In practice, extra food should only be given if it is found 

 that such feeding yields a profit. But the financial aspect of the 

 question cannot be decided by simply ascertaining the milk yield and 

 finding if the cost of the food is more than made up by the increase 

 in milk; the quality of the milk, the live-weight of the cows, and the 

 effect of the food on the general health of the animal must also be 

 taken into account. For this trial six spring-calving cows were chosen, 

 and divided into two groups of three each. It began on June nth and 

 lasted till August 19th, or five periods of two weeks. One lot of cows 

 received grass only throughout the time, but the other lot received 

 also 4 lb. per day of mixed linseed and undecorticated cotton cake as 

 follows in each period of two weeks: — Period I., none; Period IL, 

 2 lb., morning and evening; Period III., 4 lb. in the evening; Period 

 IV., 4 lb. in the morning; Period V., none. The milk of each cow was 

 weighed at each milking, and samples were taken morning and even- 

 ing and tested daily for the percentage of fat. Tables are given 

 showing the effect of the feeding on the yield of milk, percentage of 

 butter fat, and total yield of butter fat during each period of two 

 weeks. It is concluded that — 



(1) The feeding of 4 lb. of cake per day to cows getting a plentiful 

 supply of grass has no appreciable effect in preventing the usual 

 decrease in yield of milk due to advance in the period of lactation. 



(2) The feeding does slightly increase the percentage of fat in the 

 milk, but it cannot be said that the increase is permanent. With 



