
A STUDY OF RATIONS FED TO MILCH COWS. 53 
PeoluUDY OF RATIONS FED TO; MILCH COWS IN 
CONNEC EICUL 
RHPORTEHD BY W. O. ATWATER AND C. S. PHELPS. 

——_ e+e 
The study of rations fed to milch cows on dairy farms in 
this State, which was begun in the winter of 1892-93, has 
been repeated each winter since. 
Detailed descriptions of the work of the first three winters 
have been given in the Station publications.* The results of 
the fourth winter’s work (1895-96) are here reported. 
Each herd was selected after a personal inspection, or after 
sufficient correspondence to satisfy ourselves of its fitness for the 
proposed test, and a representative of the Station was present 
during the whole period of each test and personally attended 
to the details of the experiment, such as weighing the feeding 
stuffs, and taking samples for analyses, and weighing, sampling 
and determining the butter-fat in the milk. This work was 
faithfully performed by Mr. C. B. Lane, at that time Assistant 
Agriculturist to the 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 man- 
agement and products 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 calcu- 
lated. In three instances other rations were therettpon sug- 
gested by us as being better than the ones that had been used. 
The owners gradually changed the food to the ration thus pro- 
posed, and after an interval of four weeks from the close of the 

* Reports of this Station for 1893,. pp. 69-115; 1894, pp. 26-56; and 1895, pp. 40-76. 
Bulletin 13 of this Station. Reports of the Connecticut Board of Agriculture, 1893, 
pp. 182-199; and 1894, pp. 131-146. 
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