10 
BULLETIN 12.72, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
One ration consisted of the following mixture: 100 pounds corn 
meal, 200 pounds ground oats, 100 pounds wheat bran, 50 pounds 
linseed meal, and 50 pounds cottonseed meal, fed at the rate of 10 
pounds for each pound of fat produced. The other ration consisted 
of 200 pounds sawdust, 200 pounds ground oats, 100 pounds wheat 
bran, 50 pounds linseed meal, and 50 pounds cottonseed meal, fed 
at the rate of 12 pounds for each pound of fat produced. Corn 
silage and alfalfa hay were fed to both groups in such quantities as 
would be consumed without waste. 
For 2 days during each 10-day period a composite sample of each 
cow's milk was tested for fat, and from this and the quantity of 
milk produced for the 10 days an estimate was made of the grain to 
be fed each cow for the succeeding 10 days. 
The plan was to keep the gains in body weight of the two groups 
nearly the same by varying only the corn meal and sawdust, and to 
feed the cows so that at the conclusion of the experiment the in- 
gredients of the ration, except corn meal and sawdust, would be the 
same per pound of butterfat produced. A direct comparison of corn 
meal and sawdust would thus be made possible. The experiment 
did not run as planned, because too great value was assumed for 
the sawdust in the beginning and because of its unpalatable nature. 
When it became evident from the daily live weights that the saw- 
dust group should be fed more in order to bring the gains up to 
those of the other group, it was found impracticable to feed sufficient 
sawdust to bring this about, and as a result the other ingredients of 
the rations than corn meal and sawdust varied somewhat. 
The production of Cow 411 decreased so rapidly near the end of 
the first half that she was dropped from the experiment. Cow 227 
went off feed about 8 days before the close of the experiment. In 
order to avoid discarding a considerable amount of good data on 
the other cows her production for the last 10 days was assumed. 
Cow 411 was receiving the sawdust ration when she began to go 
dry, and Cow 227 was receiving the other ration at the time of her 
digestive disturbance. 
After Cow 411 went dry one of the groups contained 3 cows and 
the other 2 cows. Since the comparison of 2 cows with 3 introduces 
certain inaccuracies, Cows 227 and 459 were compared with Cows 
416 and 257, and again with Cows 441 and 257. The results are 
shown in Tables 16, 17, 18, and 19. 
Table 16. 
■Comparative results of feeding hydrolyzed sawdust and corn meal (Cows 
227 and 4-59 compared with Cows 416 and 257). 
Sawdust groups 
Period 
Cow 
No. 
Quantity of feed 
Yield 
Gain or 
loss (-) 
in body 
weight 
Grain 
mixture 
Alfalfa 
hay 
Corn 
silage 
Saw- 
dust 
Milk 
Butter- 
f:,i 
period { 
227 
459 
416 
Pounds 
415.8 
377. 3 
383.2 
Pounds 
525 
340 
352 
522 
Fid, uds 
2. 227. 5 
1, 849. 5 
L.B76.0 
2. 273. () 
Pounds 
247.9 
227.7 
262. 6 
323.2 
Pounds 
1, 367. 9 
1, 148. 1 
860- 6 
1, 587. 3 
Pounds 
45. 14 
49.75 
49.39 
60.37 
Pounds 
50 
period.. j 
27 
-4 
46tj. 4 
-2 
Total 
1, 642. 7 
1,739 
\ ML'6. () 
1, 061. 4 
4, 963. 9 
204.65 
71 
