TIO STORRS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 
experiments on the effects of wide vs. narrow rations or smaller 
vs. larger proportions of protein the total quantity of food 
eaten has not always been taken into account as it might have 
been. ‘This criticism applies, indeed, to the discussion of the 
experiments by the Storrs Station in this and the preceding 
article. Thus, in the table on page 60, comparisons are made 
of the milk production of thirty-two dairy herds in Connecticut. 
The food of the cows in the sixteen herds with less than two 
pounds of digestible protein, per cow per day, furnished 26,900. 
calories of energy, while the food of the sixteen herds with 
more than two pounds of digestible protein per day had a fuel 
value of 29,600 calories. It is possible that the advantage in 
favor of the milk yield with the larger amount of protein may 
have been due in part to a larger amount of food. But, on the 
other hand, it will be observed, by reference to the same table, 
that when second tests were made with eleven of these herds, 
and the quantity of digestible protein was increased from an 
average of 1.78 to 2.40 pounds per day, the quantities of milk 
and milk fat were also increased, although the average po- 
tential energy of the food, per cow per day, was reduced 
from 28,100 calories in the former to 26,600 calories in the 
latter tests. 
NEED OF ABSTRACT EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH. 
‘Any one who takes the pains to examine the reports of 
inquiry regarding the nutrition of animals and man, which 
have been carried out by experimental methods in Europe and 
in this country during the past twenty-five years and more, can- 
not fail to be impressed with the force of two important facts. 
One of these is, that the amount of experimenting has been 
very large and its cost very great.* ‘The other is, that while 
the results already obtained are of incalculable value, one essen- 
tial thing is still lacking, namely, the clear understanding of 
some of the fundamental laws of nutrition. Until these laws 
are more thoroughly understood it will be impossible to tell the 
farmer how he can feed his stock most economically. ‘To learn . 
them it will be necessary to develop a kind of experimenting 
which has thus far been too much neglected, especially in the 

* See Bulletin 45 of the Office of Experiment Stations, U.S. Department of Agricul- 
ture, entitled ‘‘A Digest of Metabolism Experiments, by W. O. Atwater and C. F, 
Langworthy. 

