A STUDY OF RATIONS FED TO MILCH COWS. 69 
A-STUDY OF RATIONS FED TO-MILCH COWS ON 
SIXTEEN DAIRY FARMS IN CONNECTICUT. 
BY“CHAS. DD. WOODS AND. >. PHELPS. 
In the Report of this Station for 1890 (pages 180 and 18r), in 
an article by Professor Atwater on the fuel value of feeding stuffs, 
reference was made to six rations fed by leading New York dairy- 
men and compiled by the New York State Station.* These were 
cited as illustrations of the wide range in the quantities of protein 
and of total estimated energy (fuel value) in the rations on dif- 
ferent farms, and the importance of a more thorough study of 
actual feeding practice of dairymen. The hope was then ex- 
_ pressed that ‘circumstances may be such as to permit an inquiry 
regarding kinds and amounts of feeding stuffs used by Connecti- 
cut dairymen.” 
During the winter of 1892-3, it was found practicable to peat 
such an investigation. For this purpose, Mr. Harry G. Man- 
chester, a graduate of the Storrs School of the class of 1891, was 
employed as a special representative of the Station, to visit dif- 
ferent dairy farms in the State, and make systematic observations 
of the cows, their feeding, care, milk-production and kindred 
subjects. 
Each herd was Eelected by *oneworms( Cro, °P.), after’ a per: 
sonal inspection or after sufficient correspondence to satisfy our- 
selves of its fitness for the proposed test, and was frequently 
visited while the test was being made. 
Mr. Manchester usually went to a farm ona Monday morning, - 
arriving in time to begin the test at noon of that day, and remain- 
ing until the following Saturday. The interval between Sat- 
urday noon and the following Monday was long enough to go to 
another place with the needed apparatus and make preparations 
for a test to begin at noon on Monday. ‘This made a period 
of five days at each place, and with two exceptions this was the 

* New York State Station Bulletin No. 17, (new series). 
