VALUES OF VARIOUS NEW FEEDS FOR DAIRY COWS 5 
POTATO MEAL COMPARED WITH CORN MEAL 
Potato meal was prepared by Dr. H. C. Gore, of the Bureau of 
Chemistry, by grinding the potatoes to pulp, then pressing and drying. 
The drying was rapid enough to prevent spoilage of any kind, but 
the heat used was not sufficient to cook the starch. This material 
was fed in comparison with corn meal to six cows for two periods of 
70 days each. The grain mixture fed to one group consisted of 
potato meal 2 parts, wheat bran 1 part, and cottonseed meal 1 part; 
that fed to the other group was the same except that corn meal 
replaced the potato meal. Clover hay was fed to each cow at the 
rate of 8 pounds a day with such quantities of silage as would be 
consumed. 
Although an attempt was made to adjust the live weights beginning 
30 days before the conclusion of the experiment, still the corn-meal 
groups gained 90 pounds more than the potato-meal groups. In 
conducting further tests it would be better to begin with the assump- 
tion that potato meal is not so efficient as corn meal and arrange the 
rations accordingly. Since there is no way of correcting accurately 
for this difference of gain in weight, the only thing that can be done 
is to state that whatever results were obtained are more favorable to 
that feed producing the larger gains than the figures on comparative 
values show. Tables 7, 8, and 9 give the figures on this experiment. 
Table 7. — Composition of potato meal and corn meal 
Feed 
Moisture 
Ash 
Crude 
protein 
Albu- 
minoid 
protein 
Ether 
extract 
Crude 
fiber 
Nitro- 
gen-free 
extract 
Per cent 
11.06 
8.73 
Per cent 
1.11 
1.45 
Per cent 
2.51 
8.96 
Per cent 
1.94 
6.39 
Per cent 
0.10 
Per cent 
1.85 
Per cent 
83.37 
5. 13 2. 69 
73.04 
Table 8. — Comparative results of feeding potato meal and corn meal 
Quantity of feed 
Yield 
Gain in 
body 
weight 
Group 
Corn 
meal 
Potato 
meal 
Wheat 
bran 
Cotton- 
seed 
meal 
Clover 
hay 
Corn 
silage 
Milk 
Butter- 
fat 
Potato-meal groups. 
Pounds 
Pounds 
2,019 
Pounds 
795 
883 
Pounds 
795 
883 
Pounds 
2,906 
3,225 
Pounds 
7,554 
8,448 
Pounds 
8, 867. 7 
9, 642. 1 
Pounds 
305. 33 
341. 06 
Pounds 
18 
1,766 
108 
Table 9. — Feed consumed for each pound of butterfat produced, in potato-meal 
experiment 1 
Group 
Corn 
meal 
Potato 
meal 
Wheat 
bran 
Cotton- 
seed 
meal 
Clover 
hay 
Corn 
silage 
Pounds 
Pounds 
6.61 
Pounds 
2.60 
2.59 
Pounds 
2.60 
2.59 
Pounds 
9.52 
9.46 
Pounds 
24 74 
Corn-meal groups 
5.18 
24.77 
1 This experiment indicates that 1 pound of corn meal is equal to about 1.28 pounds potato meal. 
Taking into consideration the difference of gain in weight the 
potato meal is really less efficient than shown. 
