s 
BULLETIN 945, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Both the animals on the experimental feeding and those used as 
controls were weighed from time to time. We do not wish to lay 
too much stress on the results obtained, because the manner in which 
an animal gains weight in the period of a month or so before it 
calves depends almost as much on its previous history as on the ration 
fed at the time. The results in question are given in Tables 4, 5, 6, 
and 7. They are rather irregular, but indicate, on the whole, that 
the animals on alternated feeding with phosphate made somewhat 
better gains than the controls. 
In a previous publication from this laboratory (13) a balance ex- 
periment was described in which the animals received alternated 
rations with phosphate for a part of the time. The alternated feed- 
ing with phosphate had no perceptible effect on the amount of urine 
or feces voided or on the water content or consistencv of the feces. • 
COW 50 
COW 54 
COW 63 
COW 8 1 
COW 17 C0W49 
Fig. 3. — Comparison of milk yields of cows from the general herd after control and phos- 
phate feeding. The columns show the amounts of milk given in 30 days soon after 
calving ; the lighter portions of the columns show the amounts of milk to be 
expected after the phosphate feeding, using the yields after the control feeding as a 
basis, and taking into account the facts that some of the animals aborted and that the 
younger ones would show the increase normally occurring with the second calf (see 
pp. 24 and 25) during the experimental feeding. 
We have the impression that the increase in size of the udder which 
occurs before calving has generally appeared earlier and has been 
more marked in the animals which have received the phosphate than 
in the controls. There have, however, been exceptions to this rule, 
and we do not feel inclined to insist very strongly upon it. We 
realize keenly the difficulty of judging accurately where no exact 
measurements are taken. 
