152 STORRS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 
DISCUSSION OF THE AMOUNT OF PROTEIN RE- 
QUIRED IN THE RATION FOR DAIRY COWS. 
BY CH 2B Masel 
During the winter of 1892-3 a representative of the Experi- 
ment Station visited sixteen dairy farms and made systematic 
observation of the cows, their feeding, care, milk and butter 
fat production, and kindred subjects. 
Weights of milk flow for five days.—‘‘’The milk of each cow 
at each milking was weighed as soon as milked to the nearest 
tenth of a pound by the Station representative.’’ * 
Percentages and amounts of butter fat in the milk.—‘‘ A sample 
of the milk of each cow, at each milking, was taken for the de- 
termination of the quantity of butter fat. The Babcock method 
of fat determination was employed. From the percentages of 
butter fat in the milk and the total weights of milk, the daily 
yield of butter fat was obtained.’’ 
Kinds and weights of foods used.—‘‘'The feeder was requested 
to use the same kinds and amounts of feeding stuffs during the 
test period as he had previously used. The quantity for each 
animal was weighed by the Station representative just before 
feeding, Any portions of the food left uneaten by the cows 
was carefully weighed, and due allowance was made for these 
uneaten residues in estimating the amounts eaten daily. Dur- 
ing the test, usually on the third day, samples of each food 
used were carefully taken and at once sent to the laboratory for 
analysis. From the results of the analyses and the weights for 
feed, the total nutrients (protein, fats, nitrogen free extract, 
and fiber) fed each day were calculated. By the use of diges- 
tion co-efficients, more or less accurate estimates were made of 
the weights of digestible nutrients in each day’s ration.’’ 
The herds under observation were numbered from 1 to 16 
inclusive. 
* Report Storrs Expt. Station, 1893. 

