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me 4; 

18 STORRS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 
In the first winter’s work (1892-93), which was regarded as 
preliminary to an investigation that might extend over a series 
of years, it was thought better to examine a relatively large 
number of herds, each during a short period, than to make the 
periods longer and the number of herds less. Sixteen herds 
were visited and a five-days’ test was made of each. 
In the. second winter’s work (1893-94) six different herds 
were visited, and in four cases the time of study of the 
feeding and milk of each herd was extended to twelve 
days. ‘The analyses of the feeding stuffs were made at once, 
and the weights of nutrients in the rations as fed were cal- 
culated. In three instances other rations were thereupon sug- 
gested by the Station as being better than the ones that had 
been used. ‘The owners gradually changed the food to the 
ration thus proposed, and after an interval of four weeks from 
the close of the first test, another twelve-days’ test was made 
of the same herd. A comparison was thus made of the yields 
of milk and butter-fat with the two different rations. 
During the third winter (1894-95) four herds were visited, 
each herd being under observation for twelve days at two dif- 
ferent periods in the same manner as the three herds studied 
in 1893-94, except that there was only a two-weeks’ interval 
between the two tests on the same herd. During the interval 
between the tests the feeding stuffs were analyzed as in the 
preceding test and the ration for the second period modified in 
accordance. : 
During the fourth winter (1895-96) two herds were studied 
in a similar way, except that only nine days elapsed between 
the two tests, and the change from one ration to the other was 
made under the supervision of the person in charge of the 
experiment. In one case, the first ration had a much larger 
proportion of protein than we have commonly found in use 
-on dairy farms in this State. In both cases the quantity 
and proportion of protein was increased in the second ration, 
Samples of the different feeding stuffs used in. the tests were 
taken early in each test and sent to the laboratory for 
analysis. : 
The work of the fifth winter (1896-97) included studies of 
four herds according to the methods of the two previous years. 
‘Two weeks were allowed for changing the feeds between the 
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