"ffliiHi; s §tate QlolUgs of Asrirultur? At ainrtwU Intoratte iCtbrarg GIFT OF .^43.Q.p.,........^.4^.....^,^. SYNOPSIS •3&^'' OF EXPERIMENTS J. W. SANBORN, MISSOURI EXPERIMENT STATION. LINCOLN, NEn.: Western KESonitCES Print. 1890, m3:^ __J Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924003064395 SYNOPSIS OF EXPERIMENTS MADE BY J. \V^. SAISTBORN, AT THE MISSOURI EXPERIMENT STATION. The writer had charge of the Missouri Experiment Station from July, 1888 to June first, 1890. During this time fifteen experiments in ani- mal nutrition were made and about 400 plats were laid, one mainly for permanent experiment. The results of this work have not been given to the public, with the exception of feeding trials with ensilage. As this work was intended to cover several years, and is, therefore, incomplete, I shall give only a very condensed summary of the results of the first year's work, and on those subjects of inquiry regarding which the data obtained will have a value when added to the mass of results obtained by others. Details will be omitted, as the writer has not the time nor does he care to meet the expense of a detailed report of the voluminous data taken which would require a volume to complete. This mere outline of the work covers only the essential data which it seeks to place on public record in view of the fact that no official report has been made by the station authorities. I. A barn was constructed at a cost of some $10,000 in which the work was done from a common center at much economy of steps. A cut of it will be found in a report of the Missouri State Board of Agriculture for 1888-9. A very convenient dairy and ice house was erected as an aid to a com- plete study of the feeding experiment made at the barn. II. KEPORT OF FEEDING. A. SHELTEE VEE8ES NON-SHELTEK OF STOCK. Lot I., fed in open air — Steers fed. Lot II., fed in the barn. _^^- ^^_ LBS. Lot 1., weighed a,711 2,715 i 2,713 Lot II. weighed .^ I 2,705 | 2,720 | 2,712^ SYNOrRiS~OF EXPEBIMENTS, Consumed to Dec. 27 STOVEH. IvIiS. (iHAIN. ;SILA(il':. LBS. : LliS. Lot I ItJ" Lot IT 121 485 486 517 503 IIAV. LBS. STKAW. LBS. TOTAL. LBS. 176 16() 56 39 953 938 In making the above total the silage was, and in making future totals the silage will be, reduced to the water-free condition, plus 10 per cent of moisture. The average weight of the steers on Dec. 26 and 27 was 2,830 lbs. lor Lot I. and 2,801 J lbs. for Lot II., or Lot I. was doing better than Lot II. in the preliminary period. On Dec. 27 Lot II. was left in the barn and Ijot I. w;is placed out of doors. FOOD Oonsit:\[ed ro FEB. 1 1 AND VA • LOT 1. AMOUNT ' AMOUNT (IIVEN. 1 EATEN, LBS. LBS. LO'i n. FOODS. AMOUNT ' GFVBN. 1 LBS. AMOU.N'T EATEN. LBS. 552 368 184 G14 517 752 276 3,263 552 368 184 612 517 746 270 3,249 552 ! 368 184 614 ' 517 752 ' 276 lj;26;t 552 jjraii 368 Cotton-KPPd inpal 184 Stover : SilayiTP . 420 515 Hay Wheat straw Total 630 102 2,771 Two thousand and seventy pounds of silage was given. This is equal to 517 lbs. dry matter, plus 10 per cent of water. The same reductions were made for the other silage weights. WEIGHTS. 1 DEC 1 26 LBS. ,2.835 ha.soa DEO. 27 LBS. 2,825 2,803 JAN. 7 LBS. 2,950 2,826 JAN. 21 JAN. 28 FEB. FEB. 1 FEB. 4 11 12 Lot I Lot II LBS. I LBS. 2,951 3,010 2 933 9. aF,!\ LBS. LBS. ■ LBS. 3,040,3,095] 3,015 2,965 2,960 3.025 J The fluctuations of weight of Lot I. were due to occasional rains or snows that moistened their coats, which was found to last until the next day, for weighing was not made during storms. The weight on Feb. 11 was found to be too much from the effects of rain — not on their coats, but from water in their tracks in which it had settled and from which it was dnmk. I will therefore throw out the weight of Feb. 11 and take the average weight of Feb. 4 and 12, as no single weight of cattle is quite satisfactory, especially so in this case, as the fluctuations are greater than I can recall in years of work. The average will he for Lot I. 3,027 lbs. and for Lot II. 2,995 lbs., or Lot I. gains 4 lbs. the most during this pe- riod. But it was gaining most in the preliminary period. MISSOURI EXPEEIMENT STATIOF. CHANGE OP LOTS. Lot I. was brought into the barn and Lot II. put out of doors to ob- serve whether the differences of food consumption and gain were in the steers or location of them. FOOD CONSUMED FEB. 12 TO APRIL 20, OR FOR SIXTY-EIGHT DAYS. LOT I. LOT 11. FOODS. AMOUNT GIVEN LBS. AMOUNT EATEN. LBS. AMOUNT GIVEN. LBS. AMOUNT EATEN. LBS. Cob-meal 816 544 272 952 765 1,088 408 816 544 272 886 765 1,085 328 816 544 272 952 765 1,088 408 816 Bran 544 Cotton-seed meal 272 Stover 700 Silage 745 Hay 966 Straw 124 Total 4,845 4,696 4,845 4,168 Here, again, the cattle when reversed show the same superior appetite, consuming 528 lbs. more than those in the barn upon the same amount fed. This fact agrees with previous observations and marks what is likely to prove a law or a permanent fact — that cattle in the open air have sharper appetites or will consume more. How far this can be overcome in a per- fectly ventilated barn we do not know. Any system of ventilation that keeps the air perfectly pure will also reduce the temperature lower than may be desirable, unless the barn is heated by a fife. The barn in ques- tion was always above the freezing point. . The appetite of the outside cattle was not derived from the mere fact of the abundance of pure air, but as a necessity to maintain body heat ; and of course shows that the barn economizes food. The free open air generates an appetite strong enough to induce stock to eat enough to overcome the loss of heat from their bodies when out of doors, and involves enough pure food Consump- tion to induce a superior gain, as it seems certainly would have occurred had they been allowed more food than was given them. It will be un- derstood that they ate more, not because more was given but because they rejected none that was given them. WEIGHTS. FEBRUARY MARCH Al'RlL 4&12 18 1 25 4 12 : 19 26 2 i) 16 1!) ! 20 LBS. 3,027 2,995 LBS. 1 LBS. 2,970 ' 3,063 3,012 1 3,049 LBS. 3,065 3,027 LBS. j LBS. 3,100; 3,100 3,065: 3,045 LBS. 3,192 3,103 LBS. 3,210 3,195 LBS. ; LBS. , LBS. 3,230'3,205:3,205 3,155 3,175 3,180 LBS. 3,225 3,175 Gain of Lot 1., sheltered, 188 lbs. Gain of Lot IL, unsheltered, 182 lbs. Total gain of sheltered lot, 188 lbs. -1-1925^ lbs. =380)^ lbs. Total gain of unsheltered lot, 197 lbs. +182 lbs. =379 lbs. + SYNOPSIS OF EXPERIMENTS, The gain made in this case for shelter is all found in the food saved, which amounts to 1,006 Ihs. for both periods of 46 and 86 days, or 132 (lays. This makes 7.62 lbs. daily, or 2.54 lbs. per steer daily, or 33.) lbs. for the period of 132 days per steer. Two views of this result may be taken : some will hold that the food consumed by the lot out of doors was food .the others would not eat. In case of good food it would not hold and in any event teaches that barns economize the food actually eaten. The food saved at the low rate of S5.00 per ton is sufficient to pay the interest on a $1,58.1 barn for the shelter of 100 head of cattle. This does not include the gain in quality, saving of risk of death, etc. For character of winter see following trial : ]!. SI-IELTKR OF IIOOS. Five shoats of even character were divided into two lots. This was done because they were all of the pure-bred hogs of the breed fed that the college had that were uniform enough for the trial. Lot I., of two shoats weighing 140 lbs. Dec. 31, was put in an open pen made of rails. The lot was allowed straw for bedding and a roof of boards, without sides. Lot II., of three shoats weighing 208 lbs., was put in the basement of a warm barn. They were fed equal amounts of grain per shoat until Feb. 11. They were then changed. The lot that had been out of doors was put in the barn and those that had been in the barn were put in the open pen. iDEC. 31 .JAN. 17i.IAN. 28 .IAN. 28 FEB. 4 .-KB. 11 LBS. 197 281 (iAIN Lot I LBS. LBS. 1 LBS. LBS. [ 140 1(50 171 i 175 LHS. 187 270 LBS. Lot II ! 208 236 247 2.-)0 73 Gain per shoat for Lot I. 28^ lbs. and for Lot II. 24^ lbs. Lot I. ate 297 lbs. meal and 36 lbs. skim-milk. Lot II. ate 445 lbs. meal and 54 lbs. skim-milk, or the same amount per pig. From Feb. 1 1 to April 22 the weights were as follows : 1-1 E LBS. 197 281 1.-EH. 18 FEB. 25 MARCH 4 ILUt. 12 CO K < to r-( < T. .< Lot I LliS. LBS. LHS. LBS. , LBS. 220 2.32 240 252 ( 265 LBS. 900 LBS. 287 387 LBS. 305 400 LBS. 320 406 LBS. 327 420 LBS. 1.30 139 Lor H 297 .512 323 ' 345 : 'i" nTfi The lot in the barn gained per shoat 65 lbs. and ate 41 lbs. per day. The lot out of doors gained per shoat 46^ lbs. and ate 4i lbs. of grain The total gain per shoat for the housed lot was 89J Ibs^ for ninety-six days, and for the shoats in the open pens it was per shoat 74 5-6 lbs or the gain for shelter per shoat was 14^ lbs. This at four cents per pound makes a saving of fifty-eight cents per shoat or 0.6 cents per day ' The MISSOURI EXPERIMENT STATION. 5 reader will bear in mind that the lot in the open pen was partially sheltered. The record of temperature was kept indoors and in the open air. I will give it for February, which will not be far from the average of the winter temperature. The average temperature taken morning, noon, and night of the barn was 4S deg. and of the open air 26 deg. or 22 deg. colder in the open air. During' this month the lot in the barn gained much faster than the lot in the open air. The open air temperature of 26 deg., which is but little below freezing, for the very dry February of this year, must be re- garded as very favorable for those in the open air when compared with ordinary years. Regarding the loss for December as at the same rate as for the ninety-six days, we get a total loss of 19.2 lbs., or seventy-seven cents at four cents per pound, or S77 for 100 hogs. This is the interest on a building costing $1,283. The saving of sheltered over unsheltered manure should be included in a study of the economic bearings of the /Breeding results as well as the saving of housed verses unhoused hay. -J Three years of trials in New Hampshire gave more pronounced results than did the above trials. The reader should observe that the preceding trials were made during a phenomenally warm winter in a semi-southern climate. C. STORAGE OF FODDER IN BARNS. Is our system of stacking hay in the west an economic one ? Will dry storage of foods involve as much loss as green storage? Silos average a loss of from 15 per cent to 30 per cent: A few years ago I tested a clover stack that was weighed in the fall and weighed out in the spring. The loss was found to have been 13.3 per cent of the dry matter put up, or 13.3 tons for every 100 tons. As this loss is of the best parts, or soluble and digestible parts, and as only about one-half of hay is digestible, it will be seen that the loss was prac- tically 26.6 tons. The loss, too, would be that which is most palatable. As this factor governs largely the amount that will be consumed, it will be seen that it is one of great moment to our farmers. If the loss noted above is a necessary one, then green storage will be fully justified. For the purpose of testing the loss by dry storage in the barn, and es- pecially to ascertain the relative loss between the system of stacking (which is of almost universal custom in the West) and protection by barns, I had a lot of very fine timothy hay nicely dried and put into stacks, and another lot from the same field stored in the barn. The lot stacked was put up with more than average care. It weighed at the time of storage, 5,674 lbs., and contained at that time, 14.89 per cent of water. The lot from the same field that was put into the barn weighed 4,183 lbs. and contained 15.61 per cent of water. In the spring the lot put into the stack weighed 4,972 lbs., of which 185 lbs. were spoiled. It then contained 9.22 per cent of water. The lot put into the barn, weighed in the spring, 3,893 lbs. and contained 10.24 per cent of water. The hay when it went into the stack contained 4,829 lbs. of water-free matter ; that put into the barn contained 3,530 6 RYXOl'SIS OF EXPEEIMENTS, )t)s, of wutci-free matter. The water-free matter that came out of the stack of hay was 4,514 fts., while that that came from the barn weighed .•!,49"') fts. The hjss of the first was, therefore, 315 fts., plus the 1».) Ks. spoiled, or a total of 600 fts.lo.st to the cattle. The lot put into the barn lost but ;?."') fts. dry matter or food material. This loss was so small as to be within the limits of error, a.s chemists would term the liability to error in selecting and testing for moisture, and hence it shows no loss of dry matter that can be regarded as a fixed loss. C'alculated m per cent it is found to be a mite less than 1 per cent. The actual loss of dry matter in the stacked fodder was 6.52 per cent, while the loss by weight and by spoiling was 10.35 per cent. This loss by the stacking process must be about the minimum loss, as the season was a dry and favorable one, while the stack was well put up. The above loss does not show the loss by leaching of the outside of the stack, which includes that most valuable quality of foods— palatableness. The saving of food eaten, of manure, and of the wastage of food by stacking, will far more than pay the interest on barns. T). CARDING HOESES. Trials for two years at the New Hampshire Agricultural College, re- sulted in a loss of growth and an increased consumption of food for these steers that were carded. This I then ascribed to the removal of hairs and natural excretions, than when remaining in their natural position, prevented radiation of heat. The following trial in Missouri was for the warm winter previously referred to. It began Dec. 13, 1888. Lot I. was carded and Lot II. was uncarded. Lot I., weighed Dec. 13, 2,040 fts., and March 12, 2,112 fts. Thev made a gain of 72 fts. Lot II. weighed Dec. 13, 2,125 fts., and March 12, 2,193, gaining 68 fts. From March 12 to April 29, the trial was continued, but by a partial change of animals, as another experiment did not admit of a reversal of order of carding save for the horses. Lot I. weighed March 12,2,191 fts., and on April 29, 2,070 fts., losing 121 fts. Lot II. weighed on .March 12, 2,120 fts,, and on April 29, 1,998 fts., losing 122 fts. The carded lot lost 49 fts. and the uncarded lot lost 54 fts. for the entire pe- riod from Dec. 13 to April 29. The currying or grooming involved about fifteen minutes' use of the currycomb and brush, covering the entire body in the work. The weight of the food eaten was taken for each animal until March 12, after which I have the weights only for pairs. The amount eaten was the same, or was only four pounds difference in amount. So far as ihy three years' work can justify an assertion, I express the belief that in an ordinary barn, carding steers and horses is unprofitable for the winter season. I say ordinary barn and winter season because in a very warm barn or in the summer or even in the spring, such results might not, and proba- bly would not occur, although I doubt very much whether the severe use of the harsh currycomb will not always result in a loss. MISSOURI EXPERIMENT STATION. E. MIXINC; HAY WITH GRAIN. Many writers assume that grain mixed with hay when fed to steers, is forced to enter the rumen with the hay and thereby become better diges- ted tlian when allowed to take its natural course, avoiding the first stom- ach. The reasoning does not seem sound in view of the functions of the several stomachs. The first stomach was not intended for fine food, nor is it a true digestive stomach. A trial in New Hampshire by the writer did not prove favorable to the practice. It is asserted that in the very small stomach of the horse, grain will compact with serious consequences unless mixed with hay, and that in a compact ball the digestive fluids will not gain access to the mass of meal. For the cows, my brief appeal, briefly put, gave for seventeen days 48 8-17 lbs. of milk daily, while the unmixed grain gave 42 9-17 quarts. On reversing the food, the result was 48.05 lbs. of milk and 41.09 lbs., respectively. The leaning to the unmixed rations is so very narrow as to mean nothing. A trial that was of a mixed character made at the Ohio Agricultural College subsequent to the above, so far as it bore on the factor under discussion, gave similar results. Kuhn found that there was no difference in the result whether bran was given alone, mixed with drinks, or with foods. The trial witli horses, which it is the purpose of this paper to report, began iMarch 14, 1889, and continued until May 3, when it closed for reasons given. The last weighing was made on April 29. A mule and a horse were fed against a mule and a horse. Nos. 1 and 2 were fed on two parts of cob-meal and one part of bran mixed with 20 lbs. of cut hay ; 21 tbs. of the meal were eaten daily. Nos. 3 and 4 were fed on above foods, but were fed separate. The weights were as follows : MAR. 13 JCAli. 20 APRIL 2 APRIL 9 APRIL 16 APRIL 27 APRIL 29 No. 1, horse lbs. 1,126 991 1,200 994 lbs. 1,100 990 1,196 985 lbs. 1,105 950 1,175 952 lbs. 1,075 948 1,135 944 lbs. 1,070 947 1,131 945 lbs. 1,067 933 1,135 933 Ib.s. 1,072 No. 2, mule 950 X6. 3, horse 1,123 No. 4, mulf 925 At the beginning of the trial the horse and mule receiving the mixed foods weighed 77 lbs. less than those receiving their foods in separate ra- tions. At the end of the trial there was but 47 lbs. difference in their weight. Mixing seemed to pay for horses. They have but one stomach, and a very small one at that. The time of the trial was forty-six days. I'he final weight was the average of the last two weights, a custom that I use. This matter will be given further inquiry by the writer. F. WATERING HORSES. It is claimed that when horses are fed grain before watering, the drink subsequently taken will wash the grain out of the stomach into the intes- 8 S^NOrSIS OF EXPEBIMENTS, tines. Color is .trivcii to this view by the fact that a horse's stomach is cxceediuglv small lompared to his size, and especially so when it is re- called that" tiic horse consumes coarse food as well as does the ox. Lx- Sccretarv Russell of the AEassachusetts State Board of Agriculture, in- forms us" that while in Paris he saw old hoiscs slaughtered after eating a mess of oats and receiving directly afterward a round drink of water. Mr. Russell states that fresh oats were found in plenitude in the intestines where they had been carried by the moving water. The water does not pass through the stomach as a stream, but by pres- sure, moves slowly through it into the large intestines beyond, where there is an abundance of room. Mi: Russell does not state the condition of the horses observed by him, so then we do not know whether they were normal or not. Feeding trials alone can settle the ((uestion under review. In this be- lief I inaugurated a trial with a mule and a horse fed against another mule and a horse. The trial was made in winter when they were little used and when the temperature was such as to — along with partial idle- ness — induce only moderate drinking. A trial in June, July, and Au- gust might give a diflerent result. After a fair feeding period the trial was broken off for summer continuance. The opportunity has not oc- curred to make the test under the desired conditions. As a winter trial, the results were fairly taken. Nos. 1 and 2 were watered before feeding, and Xos. 3 and 4 after feed- ing grain. The trial began Dec. 13, and continued in the order above named until Jan. 29, when the method of watering was reversed, or Nos. 1 and 2 were watered after feeding and Nos. 3 and 4 were watered before feeding until March 12. The first period covered forty-seven days and the second period forty-two days. The foods were weighed during the first period from Dec. 23 until Jan. 29, and during the second period for the entire time. The amount eaten was as follows; CORN HAY ■ , SILAGE WAT15U No. 1 486 lbs. 361 lbs. 484 lbs. 368 lbs. 366}^lb8.!l94iilbs. 3.54 lbs. 166}^ lbs. 3()0 lbs. 187'^ lbs. 335 lbs. j 144 lbs. l,3711bs. l,2661bs. l,9181bs. l,8061bK. No. 2 ^o. 3 No. 4 Eaten during second period : CORN No. 1 . No. 2 . No. 3 . .No. 4. 630 lbs. 385 tt)s. 630 lbs. 388 lt)s. 420 Tbs. 1,090 lbs. 420 lbs. 1,017 lbs. 420 lbs. jl,1861t)s. 420 lbs. 1,002 lbs. The weight of the animals will be found below, the last weights Jan 28 and 29, being averaged for the weight at the close of the first period and for the beginning of the second period, for the purpose of ascertain- ing the gain or loss of weight ; MISSOUEI EXPEEIMENT STATION. No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 Second period DEC. 13 1,185 950 1,090 940 DECi 21 lbs. 1,202 957 1,115 970 JAN. 5 lbs 1,220 1,000 1,140 1,026 JAN. 22 lbs. 1,002 ijoos .IAN. 28 lbs. 1,232 1,020 1,146 1,000 J.4.N 29 lbs. 1,230 1,020 1,130 1,000 JAN. 28 JAN. 29 FEB. 4 FEB. 21 MAR. 1 MAK. 11 MAR. 12 No 1 : lbs. 1,230 1,020 1,146 1,000 lbs. 1,230 1,020 1,130 1,000 lbs. 1,225 1,014 1,140 1,006 lbs. 1,217 990 1,112 995 lbs. 1,200 975 1,110 990 lbs. 1,200 975 1,124 994 lbs. 1,202)^ 995 No 2 \o 3 1,132^ No. 4 990 During the first period the lot fed after watering gained 116 Sbs., while those fed before watering gained 108 lbs.. During the second period the lots, when changed iu order of watering, gave for those watered before giving grain a loss of eighteen pounds. This was now Nos. 3 and 4. Those watered after feeding grain lost sixty-four pounds. The total gain for both periods of those watered before feeding grain was ninety-eight pounds. The total gain of those watered after feeding grain was forty- four pounds. The lots ate practically identical amounts, or 3,497 lbs. for the lot fed before watering, and 3,468 lbs. for the period wherein watering came after grain feeding. These twenty-nine pounds of food eaten above those watered after feeding will account for six pounds of the excess gain. We then have some forty-eight pounds left to credit to the system of watering. This is an important amount, and points to the probability that in hot weather and under hard work, the variation may be greater. Horses should be watered probably both before and after drinking. G. MEAL FED ALONE TO EUMINANTS. The system that Mr. Miller of New York pursued of feeding meal, as the only food given to cows, is pernicious. While I was in Mr. Miller's neighborhood a gentleman remarked to me that his cows were so poor when fed on nothing but meal as to be transparent. The system has not extended. I fed a heifer a month on meal alone, the animal remaining sprightly. I also fed a bull weighing 500 lbs. on from 5 to 6 lbs. of meal daily upon which amount he gained. This animal drank far less water when receiv- ing grain only and vaporized less water from his skin. This latter fact I regard as important and shall make further inquiry regarding the fact. The pig will make 26 to 30 lbs. of growth when fed 100 pounds of grain. The steer when receiving the same amount of nutrition will gain but about 2-5 as much. The fourth stomach of a calf is his true stom- 10 SYNOPSIS OF EXPERIMENTS, ach. When the calf consuiiios fine food the fourth stomach is the only stomach in practical use and the only one that seems to be needed. Will not the calf, when fed concentrated food and no other, make as good use of it as a pig, and if so may we not grow from a calfhood to maturity a steer that will make as economical growth as the shoat ; and if so wnll not the first three stomachs remain largely undeveloped being unused ? It so, important results and far reaching problems are involved. FEEDINC; A CALF ON MILK AND GRAIN. The trial I had under way was closed by the burning of the barn and calf at the wrong moment. Yet I got figures enough to be suggestive and to lead to further trials as soon as I am in position to renew them. The calf was taken at two and one-half months of age and before it had eaten any hay. Its weight Dec. 15, when the trial began, was lost. Dec. 21, weight, 1 .Slilbs. ; Dec. 31, 192^ lbs.; Jan. 28, 220 lbs., and Feb. 25, 247 lbs. The weights were taken weekly and the gain was found con- tinuous, so I give the final weights for each period. He ate for January 104.7 lbs. of shipstuff and middlings in equal parts and 298.9 lbs. of skim-milk. The latter at 10 per cent solids plus 10 per cent water to give it practically the same amount of water that the grain had, furnished thirty-three pounds of dry matter, or food material. This added to 104.7 lbs. gives 137.7 lbs., or per day 4.44 lbs., or in per cent of live weight daily 2.10 lbs. He gained 0.95 lbs. daily. This re- quires 4.67 lbs. food for one pound of growth. The gain in February was at the rate of twenty-four pounds for twenty- eight days, or 0.96 lbs. daily. He ate 102 lbs. grain made up of 42.98 lbs. middlings, 42.98 lbs. corn-meal, 16.02 lbs. cotton-seed meal, and 135 lbs. of skim-milk. This milk is regarded as fifteen pounds dry matter. There was eaten daily 4.17 lbs., or 1.79 per cent of live weight. The food required for a pound of gain was 4.34 lbs. These figures are interesting and probably important. The average gain that I have received from a shoat sold at about 200 lbs. is one pound for four of food. His average weight is thus about 100 lbs.. Now, as the heavier the shoat the more the food required to make a pound of growth it will be .seen that my shoats have taken over four pounds of food for one of growth. The trials that I have had with shoats of about the weight of the calf, or those between 200 lbs. and 250 lbs., have shown a requirement of 4.48 lbs. for one of growth of shoat. Thus, for the pe- riod of two and one-half months I have obtained as good growth from a calf as from a shoat of like weight. This may have a very important bearing if it is found that the stom- achs of the calf remain largely undeveloped, save the fourth one, and that the shrinkage of a steer is reduced. In dairy districts it would point to the cheap growth of the calves for the shambles of perhaps maturer char- acter and flavor than by the old method. But we do not know. During the months of March and April the calf was down on the floor. I al- ways find it necessary to feed some source of lime to pigs having grain MI880UEI EXPEBIMENT STATION. 11 alone. Hay is abundant in lime. T overlooked the fact that my calf was on grain alone, for I brought him down to grain in March. When illness called my attention to the matter I at once corrected it. The calf came to his feet again and started on growth to be caught in flames. H. MAINTENANCE KATION. This trial and several following trials cover questions related in vari- ous directions to the system of stock feeding known as the German sys- tem. I shall sum up the results derived, and the views of the writer in a subsequent section of this pamphlet. FEEDING TRIAL. Six two-year-old steers on Jan. 1, 1889, weighed 5,367 lbs. They were fed to the 21st on 330 lbs. bran, 330 lbs. cotton seed meal, 1,200 lbs. sil- age, and ate 92 lbs. wheat straw, leaving 107| lbs. uneaten. On the 21st they weighed 6,591 lbs., gaining 224 lbs., or 37.33 lbs. each, which is 1.86 lbs. each, daily. Estimating the silage in its dry matter contents plus 1 3.19 per cent of water — the water contents of hay fed by me — each steer ate per day 8.53 lbs. of air-dried food. This is less than one-half of what Wolff's German table regards as maintenance ration. The ration was a very successful one. I suspect that the gain was largely due to the first influence of the water silage when fed, but which is never main- tained after the first period. It may be regarded as a preliminary feed- ing period. Three steers of the six, weighing 2,790 lbs., constituted the lot after the 21st. They were fed until April 20, or 89 days longer. On Feb. 18 the meal was' cut down to 3 lbs. daily, each steer, and on March 5, the Straw was changed to corn stover, or husked corn-fodder. They weighed Jan. 21, 2,791 lbs.; Jan. 28, 2,790 lbs.; Feb. 4, 2,815 lbs.; Feb. 11, 2,830 lbs.; Feb. 18, 2,847 lbs.; Feb. 25, 2,850 lbs., and March 4, 2,840 lbs. I stop at this date as corn-fodder was then substituted for straw. They ate to March, 5,871^ lbs. straw, 1,290 lbs. silage, and 621 lbs. of the meals. They gained 47 lbs. in 42 days, or 0.38 lbs. each, daily. This was more than maintenance fodder. They ate — silage being reckoned as before — each per day, 14.5 lbs. food. Their weight for the next period, was March 4, 2,840 lbs.; 12th, 2,882 lbs.; 19th, 2,775 lbs.; 26th, 2,865 lbs.; April 2, 2,910 lbs.; April 9, 2,845 lbs.; April 16, 19, and 20 the average weight was 2,845 lbs. The gain was 5 lbs. for the period, or they were on maintenance rations only. They ate 1,120 lbs. stover, 1,380 lbs. silage, and 423 lbs. grain, or per steer per day, silage regarded as before, 13.7 lbs. I have used this basis of air-dried food that it may be in the form familiar to farmers. The lessened food required in the earlier periods may be regarded as due to the fact that more of the easily digestible grain was fed. Omitting the first period for the reasons stated, 1 will form from the results a table that will be comparable with that in current circulation from German sources : 12 SYNOPSIS OF EXPEKIMENTS, Organic matter eaten per 1000 lbs. live weight of steer Digestible or- ganic matter eaten per 1,000 lbs. live weight Kequiredfor 1,000 lbs. live weight by German table PEiiions .2 53 Digest- ible organic matter 1 12.28 lbs. 11.46 lbs. 7.23 1bs.i 17.5 lbs. 8.85 lt)s. 2 7.29 lbs. The above trial covering eighty-eight days, gave in its first half, a gam of OM lbs. daily on 12.28 lbs. organic matter where 17.5 lbs. are claimed, and on 7.23 lbs. digestible matter where 8.85 lbs. are claimed. During the latter half maintenance was as close as we can ever adjust a ration to secure it. The idea of Wolff that 17.5 lbs. of organic matter is essential to the maintenance of 1,000 lbs. of steer a day is fallacious. This bulk is not essential to a ruminant. The trials before given by me in feeding a calf show that 6 lbs. or less may suffice to fully maintain a 500 lb. bull calf for 1,000 lbs. of live weight. The digestible amount found above 7.29 lbs. is 1 7.6 per cent less than given by Wolff A subsequent paper will show that less than 7.29 lbs. will suffice for maintenance of a 1,000 lb. steer. The basis of the ration was the poorer foods of the farm, straw and stover. Straw was taken at 46 per cent, silage (sorghum) at 65 per cent, cotton-seed meal 81.5 per cent, bran 62 per cent, and stover at 60 per cent digestibility. I followed the digestive trials of Profs. Jordon and Armsby, varying the stover and silage very slightly, as I regarded it necessary to use a probable variation of these foods in the west. Wheat straw digestibility used was of German origin. The following digestible amounts were furnished during the second pe- riod by Stover 506.54 lbs. Silage 303.60 lbs. Cotton-seed meal 1 78.54 lbs. Bran 171.53 lbs. Total 953.88 lbs. Stover, or corn-fodder with ears off, is regarded as 60 per cent digesti- ble, or nearly ten per cent more digestible than timothy hay, and 'consti- tutes over one-half of the ration. It is made a fine use of if in this digest- ible amount ; it is more economical as a food than the ration given us by the German table. In passing this point of maintenance ration I may say that to the best of my belief, gauged upon experience, it will require 15 lbs. of organic matter in hay to accomplish the same result as in the above ration, thus emphasizing the assertion which I have long been making that in combi- MISSOURI EXPERIMENT STATION. 13 nation stover has a high value and that food combinations have a value that science as yet finds no explanation of. In this condensed paper, which is merely a broken record, I shall not discuss the great practical value of a knowledge of what constitutes main- tenance ration. It enables us to calculate the cost of keeping idle ani- mals ; to measure the wretched policy of giving but a fraction of food above maintenance ration, which constitutes f of the food given ; to cal- culate the value of palatableness in foods — the factor that induces large consumption and which has widely misled feeders in ascribing qualities to certain food (ensilage, roots, etc.) that do not belong to them, and to assist us in other ways. Some 6 lbs. of digestible food per day, as seen in a future table, will maintain the existence of a 1000 lbs. steer and 1.1 per cent of live weight of food daily will be required for a shoat. These amounts are far below the accepted standard. I. NUTRITIVE RATIO. RELATION OF FOOD TO CHARACTER OF GROWTH. In publishing the results of an experiment in which one lot of pigs were fed on shipstuff, a protein food, and another lot on corn-meal, a car- bonaceous food, I said : " The shipstuff fed pigs carried less fat, even in the fibers of lean meat, than the corn-fed lot." This work was done in 1883 and published in Bulletin No. 10 of the Missouri College farm in 1884. Subsequently I carried on trials touching the relation of the nu- tritive ratio to the character of growth. The results were published in Bulletins No. 14, 19, and 27 of the above named college, and unques- tionably showed that kidneys, liver, spleen, hide, hair, and fat were sub- ject to most radical modification by the change of the nutritive ratio. The claims made have been fully substantiated by that brilliant and most generous investigator in animal nutrition. Prof Henry, and by Prof Kob- erts and others, including even the trial by Prof. Shelton. The trial by the latter has, by careless observers, been grossly misinterpreted. Mature shoats were used. A subsequent trial by Prof. Shelton corroborated the results secured by the writer and by Profs. Henry, Eoberts, and others. There is a vital and immeasurably valuable point involved in this question. On the one had is the current view derived from Germany that variation of the nutritive ratio from certain standards results in a decrease of the digestibility of the food and a loss otherwise of a part of one of the nutrients. This logically means that the composition of the ani- mal is physiologically fixed by his make-up, and that the food loses in value if its nutritive ratio is varied. In the view proposed by the writer the variation of the nutritive ratio may be wide without affecting the full utilization of the food, but the variation will appear in the composition of the animal. This gives a more economic use of foods and leaves it to the skill of man to determine in a large measure the kind of meat he will eat, in fat and lean, flavor and color. ' There will also be involved the health factor in the change of the vital organs and blood; The burning of the 14 SYNOPSIS OF EXPERIMENTS, Missouri farm baru terminated the trial just at the point when I was about to slaughter the shoats. The protein-fed shoats did not burn as fully as those fed on carbonaceous food, as lean animals will not. J. g ve the weights as they bear on the question of the nutritive ratio and the cost of growth. Many still suppose that feeding for lean meat nieans slow, poor growth. This is not the case, as the following data will show : From Dec. 7 to 24 both lots of three shoats each gained respectively as follows : Lot I. from 167^ lbs. to 195^ lbs and Lot IL from 166^ lbs. to 195+ lbs. They each ate 135 lbs. of feed made up of equal parts of ship- stuff and cob-meal— 4.73 lbs. of feed made one pound of growth, costing 2.84 cents per pound of growth of shoat. Lot I. was fed after Dec. 24 on clear corn-meal and sorghum molasses, and Lot II. on shipstuff and skim-nnlk. Jan. 7. skim-milk and molasses were discontinued. Feb. 2 to 18 silage was fed in the hope of encouraging growth. It was then dropped. The corn was taken from our own mill on Feb. 2 and ground finer, as I could not get good growth enough on the corn-meal lot. They then did better. To increase the growth of each lot skim-milk was given on Feb. 26 to Lot II. and new milk to Lot I. The shoats were weighed weekly. I condense the facts in the following table, covering in each period the food changes only, and which for the sake of brevity omits further details : LOT I. TIME. p Eh 5 CO g CO WEIGHT GAIN < < p a o n Dec. 24 to Jan. 21. .TaTi 21 to Fpb 2 lbs. 189 108 146 958 lbs. 378 lbs. lbs. 195% to 275 275 to 296 296 to 310 310 to 562 lbs. 79^ 21 \ 14 / 252 lbs. 204.36 231.18 925.59 Ib.s. 1:3.3 1:4.6 1:3.8 lbs. 2.91 Feb 2 to Feb. 20... 32 7.5 Feb. 20 to April 30 813 4.17 Total 1,401 1,191 32 3665^ 1,361 1:3.9 4'?1 LOT II. TIME. < S I? St 8 O WEIGHT GAIN < < O EH £ 2 oc Dec. 24 to Jan. 21 lbs. 216 120 126 789 lbs. 40'^ ttis. lbs. lbs. 195)^ to 228 228 to 250 250 to 261 261 to 606 lbs. 32'^ 22 \ 11 1 345 lbs. 201.89 213.91 772.64 lbs. 1:8.3 1:7.3 1:5.8 11)8. 7.7 •Tan. 21 to Feb. 2... Feb. 2 to Feb. 20... Feb. 20 to April 30 32 813 7.7 2.66 Total 1,251 40J^ 32 813 410}^ 1,198 1:6.6 3.44 MISSOUBI EXPEBIMENT STATION. 15 1. In above table silage furnished but seven pounds of organic matter and is not regarded in making nutritive ratio, but is added to food eaten for growth. 2. The digestibility of shipstuff is assumed to be the same as wheat, and that of the other foods the German standard, as give by Prof. Johnson in Connecticut Station report. 3. The analysis of skim-milk was calculated from that of the new milk fed. 4. I had no analysis of molasses and estimated it to contain 26 per cent water, 3 per cent pro- tein, and 72 per cent of carbo-hydrates. 6. In the earlier periods of the trial I had to withhold shipstuff in order to keep down the growth of those fed on it to the level of the corn-fed lot. Concludotis — A study of the table will show that the nutritive ratio has had no influence on the growth. First period vinder a ratio of 1:3.3 shows a far better growth for Lot I. than is obtained for Lot II. with a ra- tio of 1:8.3. The result is wholly due to skim-milk and not to the ratio. It is the individualism of the foods in other directions than ratio. This individualism of food no chemistry as yet fathoms. Milk, we know, has once been animal organism in part, and is food wholly digestible and in the best possible condition for use again with least possible loss of force in its utilization by the animal. I have never used milk, in many years of work, without obtaining extremely good results when compared, in its units of nutrients used, with those of other foods. In the above trials I have in calculating the food used for a pound of growth reduced it to the same water content seen in shipstuff in the analysis below. That my point touching milk in the ration is correct will be seen by observing the growth from Jan. 21 to Feb. 20, when neither lot received milk. This period was almost identical in amount of food eaten and growth obtained in both lots, although the ratio of one was as 1:4.6 and of the other as 1:7.3. In the next period, when each received milk only, Lot II. having new milk with 4.34 per cent of fat in it, bounded far ahead of Lot I., al- though its ratio fed was 1:5.8, while Lot I. had a ratio of 1:3.8. It will not do to ascribe the result to the narrower ratio fed, for shipstuff alone has a narrower ratio, and yet it did not, nor can it approach corn-meal and milk as a food. Moreover, no ratio can be made from any other available foods on any basis that will equal one made from meal and milk, provided the other does not contain milk. It is observed that new milk does better than skim-milk. This is due to the fat of the new milk. I will observe to dairymen in passing that so far as I can ascertain any food containing oil, or perhaps made from oil-bearing seeds, is a great butter-producing food. Such foods are usually rich in protein, and hence our experimenters, as well as foreign investigators, have at once as- cribed their influence to the protein. I make the point that they should not have overlooked the influence of the ready-formed fat. This ready- formed fat of the new milk fed to the above shoats gave phenomenally good results for shoats of their weight, as seen in a growth of 345 lbs. on 773 lbs. of dry matter and in the air-dry condition making a pound of growth on 2.66 lbs of food. The lower line of the table shows that the wider nutritive ratio has given the greatest gain on much less food than 1() SYNOPSIS OF EXPERIMENTS, that consumed by Lut 1. on the narrow ratio. The total growth of both lots in the winter was made on .S.■ o en a i O OS -p S g "3 o Dec. 14 to Jan. 2 lbs. 75 153 193 153 lbs. 56 30 36 20 lbs. 204 372 326 491 lbs. lbs. 679 to 687 730 772 830 875 1,030 lbs. 8 Jan. 2 to Feb. 4 43 Feb. 4to March 4 42 March 4 to April 2 58 Aoril 2 to ^Dril 30* 45 Gr 184 een, 1,430 Dry, 397 155 Total . . . 574 142 1,577 397 351 'Record of food for .Vpril and to May 9 lost in the fire. 20 SYNOPSIS OF EXPEBIMENTS, 4^ > 3 43 3> 3 a 5 -a o o c 0) Fat Lot— 660 510 312.25 267.56 19.56 16.56 2.22 2.09 6.97 8.12 10.56 7.50 21.56 15.25 .97 Jersey 1.56 Total 1,170 579.81 36.12 4.31 15.09 18.06 36.81 2.53 Lean Lot— 585 575 278 267.9 19. 20.9 2.17 2.17 7,38 8.94 9. 10. 16.50 20.56 .90 Jersey . 2.17 Total 1,160 545.9 39.9 4.34 16.32 19. 37.06 3.07 Jerseys ' 510 575 267.56 267.90 16.56 20.90 2.09 2.17 8.12 8.94 7.50 10. 15.25 20.56 1.56 2.17 Total 1,085 535.46 37.46 4.26 17.06 17.50 35.81 3.73 Sliort-horns i 660 585 312.25 278. 19.56 19. 2.22 2.17 6.97 7.38 10.56 9. 21.56 16.50 .97 .90 Total 1,245 590.25 38.56 4.39 14.35 19.56 38.06 1.87 Stomach and contents 43 a; S Fat of intes- tines a -a I Fat Lot— Short-horn 33.17 28.50 120.75 92. 12. 9.50 45.17 37.50 6. 8. 2.34 1.94 1.44 1.27 1.31 .81 Jersey Total 61.67 212.75 21.50 82.67 14. 4.28 2.71 2.12 Lean Lot— Shoi't-horn 36.50 36.56 96. 100. 11. 10.5 40. 32. 5. 10.12 1.81 1.75 1.67 1.62 .90 2.50 Jersey Total 73.06 196. 21.5 72.00 15.12 3.56 3.29 3.40 Jerseys / 36.56 28.50 92. 100. 9.50 10.50 37.50 32.00 8. 10.12 1.94 1.75 1.27 1.62 .81 2.50 Total 65.06 192. 20.00 69.50 18.12 3.69 2,89 3.31 Short-horns > 33.17 36.50 120.75 96. 12. 11. 45.17 40. 6. 5. 2.34 l.Sl 1.44 1.67 1.31 .90 Total 69.67 216.75 23. 85.17 11.00 4.15 3.11 2.21 The amount of digestible nutrients fed will be seen in the table below: Lot I. protein 462.09 lbs. Lot II.. 141.78 lbs. TATS 93.24 lbs. 39.11 lbs. CARBO-HYDRATES 1209.23 lbs. 1269.88 lbs. NUTRITIVE RATIO 1:3.12 1:9.6 MISSOURI EXPERIMENT STATION. 21 Total digestible nutrients fed to Lot I., 1,764.56 lbs., and to Lot XL, 1,450.77 lbs. In hay and stover, Lot IL ate 431 lbs. less than Lot I., and gained 37 lbs. less ; but for every pound of gain less than Lot I. (the protein lot) they ate 11.6 lbs. less of hay and stover. Now as it requires but about one-half of this excess hay eaten to make a pound of gain when thus used as excess food, as in this case, it follows that this ration, wide as it was, proved more potent than the excellent protein ration of Lot I. Moreover, the animals fed were calves growing muscle, the very place where a protein ration should be effective. That I do not err in my con- clusion is seen in the results when the calves were fed upon green grass. Then Lot IL ate nearly as much as Lot I; and bounded ahead of them in gain. Again, if the food record lost in April was added, it would show that Lot I. ate more than 10 lbs. more of food than Lot II. for each pound of extra gain made by Lot I. over Lot II. Again, the grain fed to Lot II., cob-meal, in popular estimation is not highly thought of compared with the meals received by Lot I. Indeed, on comparing the digestible amounts of the two rations we find that the protein ration is 21.6 per cent greater than the cob-meal ration. The gain should have been under this disparity, at least 40 per cent greater, whereas it is but 10.5 greater. Indeed, on the final weight at slaughter, the food having been continued as before, the corn-meal-fed lot weighed 5 lbs. the most. As the steers were not slaughtered until after they left my charge, I have not the weights of food eaten. The results are more radically in opposition to the German theory than those received from the pigs. THE DRESSED CARCASS. The steers were slaughtered in accordance with my design as laid out by me, by my former assistant, Mr. Waters, so far as the circumstances touching the other departments of the station would admit. I saw them slaughtered. The breaking strain of the bones of those fed for fat, or on the carbonaceous or corn-meal diet, was 2,200 lbs. for one and 2,360 lbs. for the other, an average of 2,280 lbs. Those fed on the protein diet broke under a strain of 2,160 lbs. and 2,()90 lbs. respectively, or an aver- age of 2,425 lbs. The reason that the protein-fed lot had stronger bones' was not due to the fact that they were fed on protein foods, as most suppose, for this could not materially affect their strength, but was due to the lime which exists in greater amount in bran and the other meals fed to Lot I. If demonstration is needed of so obvious a fact, that protein is not the cause of strong bones, it will be found in the breaking strain of the muscle itself, which Mr. Waters very kindly ascertained for me. A muscle taken from the fore leg of a Short-horn fed on protein foods and weighing 5 oz. broke under a weight of 368 lbs. The Jersey fed likewise, whose muscle from the same position weighed 6 oz., stood a strain of 326 lbs. The corn-fed Short-horn required 518 lbs. to break a muscle weighing 7 oz., and the Jersey thus fed required 492 lbs. to break a similar muscle weighing 7 oz. We have one fact for each animal 22 SYNOPSIS OF EXPERIMENTS, of both lots: The steers fed on corn-meal, the fat-producing food, had grown a stronger muscle. The protein-fed lot carried an average strain of ;147 lbs. before breaking, while the other lot required 505 lbs. to break somewhat heavier muscles. The latter were 45 per cent stronger than the former. This was contrary to my expectation. Mr. Waters was ab- solutely certain that he did not exchange them accidentally in handling them. I was with him most of the time, but not all of the time. While not expecting the result it is a most significant fact that the strength of the muscles is so variable a factor, and shows how deep a study we have before us in this question of animal nutrition. It bears upon the trotting horse, work horse, and indeed on the food of man himself, in ref- erence to physical health, power, and endurance. The following table gives the result of the slaughter test. The same influence of the protein diet on weight of kidneys, liver, spleen, etc., are not seen to so great an extent as in the shoat. Unlike the shoat, the steers had not from the necessities of the case arrived at the same degree of maturity. They should have been kept a year longer, but could not well have been so kept. 1 have grouped the Short-horns and the Jerseys together for the benefit of students of the breeds, as the Jerseys were pure and the Short-horns nearly so. The Jerseys carry heavier spleens, livers, intestine fat, and lighter kidneys. The shrinkage in dressing was practically equal. The hind quarters of the Jerseys weighed 250 lbs., of Short-horns 299 lbs., and fore quarters as 277 lbs. is to 291 lbs. This favors the Shorthorn as to weight of hind quarters. The superior weight of the spleen of the Jerseys is noticeable, especially as their intestinal fat is greater and their disposition to produce fat great. The following analyses were made by B. von Herfl^ assistant chemist of the station. The previous table, as remarked already, apparently shows that the law of laying on fat is not the same for steers as for shoats, and the relation of the diet to the vital organs possibly not the same. Previous trials with steers gave the same indications. But I say " apparently" and " possibly" because these animals were yet far less mature than the pig, and future trials with more mature animals must determine. The steer carries a larger ratio of muscle to fat than the hog, which doubtless has its bear- ing. Whatever the future may discover as to these factors the following table shows that in laying on of internal fat the wide ratio, or carbona- ceous diet, is more pronounced in the steer than in the pig: MISSOUEI EXPEBIMENT STATION. 23 TAIII.K SIIOVVINU I'Ull CUNT OF FAT IN LKAN MEAT. LEAN SHORT-HOKN. FAT SIIO Water. liT-IIOIIN. Water. Fat. Fill. Shoulder 74.17 71.69 70.60 2.35 3.80 4.87 73.57 65.18 68.35 2.38 Ijurft'e muscles in thig'h 9.59 Loin 7.21 Averap:e 72.15 3.67 69.03 FAT .7 0.39 LKAN JBBSEV. EKSKV. Lar^e m uacle.s iu thigh 67.09 69.97 6.22 7.82 01.80 52.66 7.88 Loin 3U.85 Average 08.53 7.02 57.23 19 3(5 -Vverage of both lots ■ 70.34 5.35 63.13 12.87 The shoulder pieces of the Jerseys were omitted because one piece was imperfectly labeled, but they stood 2.78 for lean (probably) and 5.90 in I'at for fat lot. The pig lays its fat on the outside, while the steer places it more among the fibers. For this reason in neither this nor in a former trial did the kidneys and intestinal fat show as much the influence of a carbonaceous ration on the steer as on the pig. But in fiber fat the steer shows more than the pig. The above table shows over 100 per cent gain in fat of the steers fed on the wide nutritive ratio over those fed on the narrow ratio, or protein ration : TAULE SHOWING THE FAT OF THE VITAL ORGANS. LEAN JERSEY. FAT JERSEY. Water. Fat. Water. Fat. Kidneys 73.05 70.55 73.69 1.68 1.23 1.53 73.55 73.57 74.38 .54 Liver 1 .33 Spleen 1.89 Total 217.29 72.43 4.44 1.4H 221.50 73.83 3.76 1.25 LEAN SHORT-HORN. FAT SHORT-HORN. Kidneys 73.34 70.22 75.31 1.79 .87 3.59 68.31 70.04 76.56 1.13 .50 Spleen !... .74 Total 218.87 72.96 6.25 2.08 214.91 71.64 2.37 Average .79 Average of botli lots 72.69 1.78 72.74 1.02 The vital organs above show more fat from the protein-fed lot. This fact is not ueceissarily antagonistic to the preceding table showing the re- verse for muscle fat. These organs are termed vital organs and have to 24 S'XNOPSIS OF EXPERIMENTS, do with the organization and selection of materials. The data may help to throw some light on their functions. I confess that in the case of the kidneys I do not see the relations. However, that is a question for the physiologist. One question is clear, namely, that the body of the animal shows a heavy increase of fat— a doubling of it in fact— and the data of each piece is "one way. This also agrees, as before said, with a previous trial with steers shown in Bulletin 27 of the Missouri Agricultural College. That protein in a diet tends not to fat production, as asserted, but to growth of bone, and that variation of nutritive ration results in the change of the character of the product is now a demonstrated fact beyond the reach of successful criticisms. I invite the reader, in considering the relation of the food to fat and lean, not to overlook the fact that these young growing steers — which presumably require a heavy portein ration if any steers do — have thriven better on a carbonaceous diet than on a protein diet. The nutrients are very freely interchangeable in their functions, it would seem. I do not imply that carbon can build fiber. K. NUTRITIVE RATIO. — A REVIEW. The following table is a condensation of a fuller one, which gave the amount of digestible nutrients given to each lot. It contains all of ray trials relating to the nutritive ratio save those packed with my library in a dis- tant state and which are not accessible to me. Jordan's, Armsby's & Kuhn's digestion co-efficients have been used. The early trials were based, in part, upon the average analyses of American foods. Later trials have been accompanied, in most cases, by analyses of the foods fed. Uneaten por- tions have not, in all cases, been calculated out, but this factor has not been found to affect the results adversely. The steers fed, have nearly all been approximately 1,000 lbs. in weight. They were fed designedly ou moderate rations of grain. The column for excess food eaten over maintenance, which was assumed to be 7 lbs., is inserted because it is the amount eaten over this amount that makes growth. German and Ameri- can investigators seem to have overlooked the bearings of this fact, and to have wrongly construed their results. I invite especial attention to this fact, which I will not stop to elucidate. As the hay group by itself and every lot fed with hay shows that it is more inefficient than stover, straw, and clover in their combinations with grain, I shall remove hay trials and place against each other the similar combinations: MISSOTJBI EXPEBIMENT STATION. 25 ■nj-BS ^'■2 fe Ti 9 t^ oa Hi «■ ? ^s s s. •qi T pajjiib amCO'r-i 0--*N«» si IN -aj poo} ssooxa ■nsDaS JO ■Tti ^ ■qi aad pesn fc r-i pooj aiqwsasui S '^ ■.103:^8 • tH C-i tH r~ c ■» -f o ':r. «) "* CI ffirHO- B ■■ c3 o £ to 5 i gog o 1 - " oo o ■fi gS'oS T -* 2- p - OS iz 3 irj ^ 1! i CO o ■6 ^1 to -^ a 1 11 ag«s?"5 1— 1 H -t! 1 ..$§•0 S^^S "SS" m ►J c: £ciS » o f ?aS ""So; H si^l^llsisiii i a !5 Q ^5 to to M m aJi; g-gg-*^ ■*^ : H .-52^^'-"-"— ^ T T rtn -d ;r ?ioino^ •= bo ^ c8 S S iS 13 « ic'°'"'"«> s 6; ^ c c 0? y a -/ « O CI o^ o o — 03 a e pa cq"^ c « g ! □ - o I* a - 8-° Ql-H CO O 0>- 3 OS oa I— I in _ jth cTc^c^y I" e8 03 c3 eg c - h A Cm b t ^43 (843434 i d ^ 03 :d c SOccOOC «S t> »C3 fcH i ■w'll Oo'u'l -19(1 pOOf 9iqi!JB3Sia I— Xcc-tr:cvr-oo lO c: I- Tf T-I -t e s-i ci -^ <;£ =.^<=. i=. r;c!icr:'Mz:t^«co(Ni- &HEHH&HEHtlEHrHeH o ,_ - W ' SC: St, --o ' -Joy "j s8 - . -p 0) ^j, ^ (^ H -< MISSOURI EXPERIMENT STATION. 27 REVIEW OF TABLE. I. The table seems to show that the narrower nutritive ratio has done the best, as gauged by the excess food required to make a pound of gain, although the gain per day by the average of the periods is less, (a) If there is taken from the lot receiving a ratio wider than 1:8, the timothy hay-fed lots, where timothy was the major coarse foods fed, the wider ra- tio would make the most economical gain. (6) The ratio between 1:5 and 1:8 is the one usually commended, yet it gives the poorest results on the face of the figures, (e) A closer analysis of the data shows that the nutritive ratio has not really att'ected the result. The excess food used for a pound of gain and the amount of the total digestible food required for a pound of gain really rests not upon nutritive ratio at all, but upon the ratio of grain fed to coarse food given. The following table shows the fact asserted : a food b.of ^ 05 15 s hatio o — 0) §1 '5 ent o1 ratio in oft" 3 ■■" be «2 S'i io ■*-> CO ".bS ^S5 C O OJ o QJ 0^ -4-^ bj} 2 O Tn XI o m 3 H H H (k R o lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. 1: 4. 21,644 13,931 7,713 35.7 1.8 17.0 1,305 .92 1: 5.9 19,588 15,342 4,246 21.7 3.6 22.0 890 1.00 1:10.4 33,152 24,689 8,463 25.5 2.9 19.6 1,922 .SS 1:14.2 29,550 29,550 26.4 1,272 ..ss By observing the per cent of gain to that of the whole ration eaten, and the pounds of coarse food to each pound of grain, and then the pounds of food for each pound of gain, it will be seen that the gain is measured by the ratio of grain to coarse food in the ration. A study of the first tables in detail will show that in trials where the grain ration was the same, as it was always in the relative trials, that the nutritive ratio cut no figure unless it was where cotton-seed meal (fat or oil being al- ready formed in it) was used. In the narrow nutritive ratio, cotton-seed meal was 3,509 lbs. of the 7,713 lbs. of total grain fed. In the next wider ratio it was only 1,053 lbs. out of 4,246 lbs., while in the wide nutritive ratio none was fed. Now, my observation is that the ready-formed fat of the cotton-seed meal gives it an advantage over those meals that we have to use to make the wide ratios. It is the fat and not the protein, that makes it effective. The German theory was based upon the careless plan of narrowing the ratio by increasing the grain. Grain is more digestible than coarse food, and so puts the animal to less cost in carrying water to moisten its stom- ach to hold it, and juices and labor to digest it. The hay ration alone re- quires a little more than the one having the least grain, and agrees with the drift of the others. 28 SYNOPSIS OF EXPfiEtMENTS, II. The German maintenance ratio, after the fat is converted into its starch equivalent, as I did in my table, is 9.07 lbs. digestible matter per 1,000 lbs. live weight daily. Neither of the groups in my trials received but a little over a pound more than this, and yet gained nearly a pound a day, while frequently fair gains were made on much less than this ; in one case, .49 lbs. daily being made on 6 lbs. of digestible matter. The accepted demand is 50 per cent more than this. III. There seems to be no important point in the German theory that is well founded. I grant that as an extreme, it might be possible to feed too little protein, but it would be such an extreme that a ration would not — if it is possible to make it — be thus made up, even by the poorer class of feeders. Straw might seem to be an exception. Practically it is not because it is so unpalatable that an animal will only eat maintenance ration a day, which I have found gives protein enough for mere subsist- ence. The moment a ration is made palatable enough for growth it will necessarily contain protein enough. Again the slaughter tests have shown that protein is not the natural source of fat, for its increase has in- variably resulted in growth of muscle. It is about time to dismiss the theory, as it has now served its full purpose as a stepping-stone to some- thing better. ^\^e must now study the variation of the nutritive ratio in reference to its influence on the character of the meat or animal-products, and on the vitality of the animal. The assertions made that we do not need to study the nutritive ratio with reference to economy of growth, rests upon the belief that all palatable foods contain protein enough for growth. It is the character of the growth that we are to study. FEEDING DIFFERENT BREEDS OF CATTLE. In the fall of 1887 I arranged with each of the National Breeders' associations representing the great beef breeds to select by their own ap- pointed experts ten of the best animals of the breed represented by each association. These were to be given by the associations to the Missouri Agricultural College for the purpose of ascertaining the amount of food required by each breed to make a pound of growth ; the time of their maturity ; their relative summer growth on green food ; their relative weight of bones, offal, vital parts, hides, tallow, and the relative weight of the best parts of the meat of the dressed carcass ; the marbling of the breeds and other factors of practical and of scientific value. I finally received three Herefords, four Short-horns, four Angus steers, four grades, one of each breed, and four natives, the latter selected froni the woods of southeast Missouri. These last were genuine natives— -spashed-and brindled. The natives were used to test " food versus blood," and the grades, the value of crosses. The animals were selected by ex- perts for each breed. All food was weighed separately, but as the animals passed out of my hands, after feeding a few months, only aggregate re- sults will be given, which are to be regarded as notes of progress. A sick native is calculated out of the trial in one set of figures. MISSOURI EXPERIMENT STATION. 29 NO. DAYS FED. ."I'iOtoi-lShort-Iioru.... 23-1 tor 1 Hereford :i7iHnrl Angus 284 for 1 grade r»72 for 1 native Sii'k native included.. 0. lbs. 2S54 214S SOLS 2715 1791 si D. lbs. 045 370 G23 417 512 3 a a Iba. 1.24 1.58 1.64 1.40 !.;« Ml T3 ■^ d ■o 5 ca-^ Tl* O (U » H b IbB. lbs. 5918 13.09 321 (i 13.74 3421 10.16 Cl»« 14.;14 :iN.'-,;i S.92 a 0)13 '" pe a ^ >- eS 2.12 2.10 2.24 2.3U 2.23 o15 b !: a !' tfo I 1.42 1.44 1.57 1.57 1.3S P. ■a g o to lbs. 11.04 S.67 6.19 9.82 8.67 10.00 " . So o ..{-J *o+= On ffl.g ?<2; liA CD o s lbs. lbs. lbs 1120 1.4T 1771 912 1.59 1282 131S 1.71 1941 1340 1.75 1757 1294 1.69 1800 aa lbs. 1.3S 1.59 1.70 1 07 1.51 1 ..15 Total days fed — pure-bred and grade steers 4,282 Total pounds gain — pure-bred and grade steers 6,751 Gain per day — pure-bred and grade steers 1.57 Total days fed — natives .' 1,336 Pounds gain of natives 1,806 Gain per day — natives 1 .35 Total days fed well natives 1,193 Gain per day — well natives 1.51 Average pounds food required for pound gain of grade and pure- bred steers 8.93 Pounds food for pound gain on natives 10.00 Pounds food for pound gain on well natives 8.67 Average growth of grades and pure-bred steers in summer 1.63 Average growth of natives in summer 1.69 The sick native got well a week or two before going to pasture. The average weight of the steers was used. The food was not given by weight for the whole period, but for practically the whole period weighed, and is calculated for the dry feed by weight. The per cent eaten has its bearing on the result. The following table gives data that require study before judgment can be rendered : No.l No.2 No. 3 lbs: 745 100 14.86 1.99 10.04 No. 4 No. 5 No; 6 No. 7 No.s No. 9 "lbs. 463 94 9.14 1.97 8.94 No. 1(1 Weight lbs. 765 113 14.73 1.94 14.8 lbs. 654 136 12.76 1.95 10.13 lbs. 690 130 13.82 1.86 10.65 lbs. 761 124 16.63 2.18 14.64 lbs. 686 161 12.76 1.80 7.9 lbs. 745 145 13.74 1.84 8.81 lbs. 482 146 9,8 2.cn 0.27 lbs. 480 Gain 157 Ate daily 9.37 Percent eaton 1.9.'! Foodfor a pound of gain 5.7 The grades ate the largest per cent of their live weight daily of any of the lots and therefore should have shown the best results. They do not, and this fact coupts against them. It seems to show or tends to show that if crosses do not intensify digestion and assimilation they do appetite, at a loss of ratio digested and assimilated. The natives and Angus con- sume alike, and in amounts next to the grades. This is due to size, for all small animals consume more than larger ones in ratio to live weight. The average weight of the Short-horns was 646 lbs.; Herefords, 653 lbs.; Angus, 454 lbs.; grades, 600 lbs. or 599.9 lbs.; and natives, 399 lbs., for winter feeding period. The Short-horns, Herefords, and grades were alike in weight. The Short-horns consumed less, as the amounts eaten per day 30 SYNOPSIS OF EXPEEIMENTS, and per cent show, than the Angus and grades, but not less tl)an the Herefords. The Angus and natives thus gain some advantage over the Short-horns and Herefords in this regard. The small difference is nearly compensated for in the fact that the smaller animals (that is, Angus and natives) have more surface in ratio to weight for heat radiation and have each vital organs to run as well as a larger animal has. Still, they have a slight advantage over the Herefords and over the Short-horns. The Angus Jiad 199 lbs. less of body weight to maintain than the Herefords. With the large per-cent of grain eaten, one per cent of this weight daily would amply maintain this extra weight. Making this liberal correction the Angus still consume but 7.31 lbs. of food for a pound of gain. The natives are subject to like correction to place conditions on an equality as regards size. But the conditions have been against them in other re- spects, as they ate a less percentage of grain. They also show a fine sum- mer gain. All were then well. There are two points that I wish to bring out in connection with the data. First, I am satisfied that the old notion that " breed goes in at the mouth " has a semblance of truth and involves an important moral. The native steers — and they were natives — so far as total growth was con- cerned, made as good use of food as the other steers averaged to do. At the end of the year I saw them, or on January 7, of this year. They had greatly changed in general appearance as the result of better feeding than they had been accustomed to. They had a semi-respectable appearance. This means that food is a powerful factor, and shows more than anything else in my experience, or that I have yet learned of in an exact or definite way from the experience of others, the paramount importance of giving food enough, and that we must emphasize this factor. The native lacks form or a great ratio of parts that bring high prices, and so it is that a poorly made steer may sell for $40 when a good one will bring $70, each having the same weight and degree of fatness. Form is hereditary and not the direct product of food. I do not then advocate the native steer but the fact that "breed goes in at the mouth " so far as gain is involved. The next great advance in breeding should be that of a test of the growth of sires upon a given amount of food. I greatly re- gret that I had not opportunity to slaughter the natives and the other steers to observe the influence of breed on the character of the growth when fed under similar conditions. Food has more influence than breed on this factor, hence our fat stock show tests on the block are practically valueless. L. FEEDING SORGHUM MOLASSES. In the interest of the sorghum sugar industry, I made a trial of sor- ghum molasses. It seems that a market will" have to be made for this molasses provided sorghum sugar making develops as expected. The mo- lasses gave unfavorable results. I quote the figures as they show that feeders for show hogs have an uncertain food in this molasses, and to fur- ther illustrate the fact that winter-made pork is as cheap eCs summer-made pork, provided that winter-fed shoats are kept in warm quarters. MISSOUKI EXPEltlMENT STATION. 31 TEIAL. AVeight Lot I., Dec. 7, 209 lbs., Dec. 25, 240 lbs.; weight Lot II., Dec. 7, 21o lbs., Dec. 25, 2o4 lbs. Both lots were fed alike during this period. Weight Lot I. Feb. 18 and 19, 380 lbs.; gain 140 lbs. Weight Lot II., Feb. 18 aud 19, 403 lbs.; gain, 169 lbs. Lot I. ate 667 lbs. of corn-meal and shipstuff' in equal parts and 132 lbs. molasses. Lot II. ate 667 lbs. of above meals. On Feb. 19 the foods were reversed and Lot II. got the molasses. Weight Lot I. INIarch 28 and 29, 474 lbs.; gain, 94 lbs. AVeight Lot II. :\Iarch 28 and 29, 525 lbs.; gain, 122 lbs. Lot I. ate 412 lbs. of above meals. Lot II. ate 412 lbs of above meals and Idj^ lbs. molasses. Gain of lot on molasses, for both periods, 162 lbs. Gain of lot on grain alone, for both periods, 163 lbs. There were fractions of pounds involved in the weights that were ignored, that reduce the gain of the non-molasses- fed lot to less than one pound the most. It will be observed that the grain was fed in equal amounts to each lot, and the molasses used as ex- cess food. In this relation it should have been effective. It was not. I am sorry that it was so. As the molasses did no good I shall count it out in the following data. If any object they will please observe that the lot not fed molasses gives the same result as seen below, and so the problem is not affected. Total food ate by both lots, for both periods, 2,158 lbs. Total growth, 525 lbs. Food required for a pound of growth, 4.11 lbs. This is a good return for food for the mid-winter months, for shoats of the weight used, and is up to the average of other seasons. They were fed in the barn where water never froze. At the present prices for corn, the shoat would be a bonanza market to those who are selling Nebraska and Iowa corn for twelve cents a bushel, provided they have the place to feed in. III. LYSIMETER. The writer holds that lysimeters as heretofore put in, are under such wholly abnormal conditions as to be valueless and misleading. Capillar- ity is shut off' and the soil is alternately too wet and too dry, and com- pletely out of accord with surrounding soil which moves water to and from the surface soil in droughts and rains. The three, one put in by me, covered one one-hundredth of an acre each, and were surrounded by a water-tight fence and drained inside and outside, four feet deep, so thoroughly that the water falling on the lysi- meter in excess of its absorptive capacity, would be drained into vaults. Capillary action, with the soil beneath, was undisturbed. For the four months, April, May, June, and July, the rainfall was 41,- 074 lbs. on each of the three lysimeters, while the average percolation was 16,812 lbs., or 40.9 per cent. For August, September, and October, the rainfall was light, except September, when 2.98 inches of rain fell. The percolation was practically nothing for these dry months, or less than 200 lbs. 32 SYNOPSIS OF EXPEEIMENTS, The percolation is shown to be greater under these more natural con- ditions than heretofore registered in this country, and is shown to be better regulated. Most of the surplus in the rainy spring months was removed the first two days after the rain. Thereafter the percolation was very slow, the tile dripping water for days — even twenty days after the great bulk of the water had been removed. It shows two points of interest to those who tile-drain. First, the tile removes the troublesome surplus al- most at once, but is unable to rob the soil of the water essential for vege- tation. As the soil drains down nearly to the point of its absorptive power for moisture, the movement of water in the soil becomes very slow indeed. Drawings and details of these lysimeters are given in a paper read be- fore the Society of the Promotion of Agricultural Science at its Toronto meeting in 1889. The fuller facts are added here, that is, that the later summer months revealed no percolation worthy of mention. IV. VARIETY TESTS. Tests were made of varieties of corn, oats, wheat, and grass. I shall not detail the results, as I hold that they have only local value. A study of experiment station work reveals differences so wide in yield of varie- ties and so conflicting, that little of value has yet come from such tests, which is not purely local in its application. I am aware that such trials are very popular, and absorb most of the attention of horticultural de- partments of stations. Such tests to have permanent value will have to be made by farmers in conjunction with the central station and for sev- eral years. GRASSES. Some thirty varieties of grass were grown for three years on 1-20 acre plats. The crops were weighed and the growth measured. I will not enlarge upon the result. Meadow fox tail proved to be better than its reputation, so far as used, and promising. Meadow fescue did remark- ably well in Missouri, and seemed a fair rival of timothy. English rye grass lodged, and both it and Italian rye grass, while doing well the first year, were of uncertain hardiness. Tall oat grass grew very rank, but is too coarse. Orchard gi-ass did fairly well in Missouri, but was not the equal of timothy. Alsike clover was very promising. MISSOURI EXPERIMENT STATION. 33 Timothy Meadow fescue Tall fescue Bed-top Orchard grass Tall oat grass English rye grass.. Italian ryegrass Yellow oat grass Meadow foxtail Mixed grasses — fifteen sorts. . Kentucky blue grass BLOOM Middle of June.. June 10 to 14... June 1 Middle ot May.. May 12 to 15... Early June About June 10. Last of May.. May ] 30 IH lbs. 5200 5680 2200 7000 360 5120 5100 Poor 4500 3800 00 00 00 >H lbs. 4600 3000 2240 3730 2920 Mtlv kill'd Ht'nd 2975 1500 bpos .5 00 f^ 00 a- H ^ 'E. lbs. 5900 6000 4200 ■ilOO 4800 4000 5400 5200 2360 2940 6400 Lot-s of mixed pasture grasses were sown for grazing tests. They are left to my successor, but the mixed grasses for the first year gave a far better growth than did Kentucky blue grass. Before passing the variety tests I should say that our home oats aver- aged a weight of 28.6 lbs. per bushel, while the northern varieties averaged 32.7 lbs. per bushel. Northern seed taken south outweighs, I judge, southern seed. The straw for all of the plats weighed 1.81 lbs. per lb. of oats, or 58 lb. of straw for one bushel of oats. The Fultz wheat, all points considered, has remained our best wheat, and gave on the farm area 39 bushels per acre as the average for the last three years, or 86 to 89. V. CHANGE OF SEED. In pursuance of the discussion of the influence of change of seed, I give the following data from trials in potato-growing: Yield of White Star, from Wisconsin, per plat 1,073 lbs. White Star, from Iowa via St. Louis 645 lbs. White Star, home grown 402 lbs. Beauty of Hebron, from Wisconsin 436J lbs. Beauty of Hebron, from Vermont via St. Louis 251| lbs. The above seed from Wisconsin was brought direct. The St. Louis dealer stated that his seed was from Iowa and Vermont respectively. He da not state that it had not been home-grown a year. The question was not asked. The tops of the growing selections of above potatoes showed a most marked variation in vigor — one of the most marked that I have witnessed in variation of the results from a given seed under ordinary conditions. 5 34 SYNOPSIS OF EXPEEIMENTS, There was left no question of the powerful influence of prior conditions on the vigor of this crop. It represents a great economic factor in potato culture, and one that I believe will hold good in farm practice. After some reflection on the influence of change of seed, a question that has been much discussed without definite conclusions, but with a strong bias in favor of the practice, I conclude that there is a definite and controlling law involved. I cannot stop to discuss supporting data that I have gathered. Change of seed is as likely to be injurious as benefi- cial. Changing from good to worse conditions will give a larger crop than would be grown from seed raised under the more adverse conditions ; but the changed seed will deteriorate. The temporary gain is due to the fact that it brings with it superior vitality and inheritance. The dete- rioration will be an assimilation to surrounding conditions. Only a change of seed from good to worse conditions of soil or climate should be indulged in, as the reverse process gives to us a seed of less inherited or acquired vitality or power of growth. This advice will be understood to be gen- eral touching the yearly change of seed by the practical farmer. Where grain lodges another factor is involved. VI. FALL VERSUS SPRING PLOWING. I am convinced that we know very little regarding the philosophy of tillage, and that much that passes current as truth both with farmers and scientists, will have to be wholly revised. The purpose of these papers is not to debate but to place on record the preliminary facts secured. The unpublished experiment that I wish to record gave for corn for one-tenth-acre plats as follows : Fall plowed.; 713 lbs. Spring plowed 924 lbs. A duplicate trial gave for Fall plowed 875 lbs. Spring plowed 920 lbs. Average of fall plowed 794 lbs. Average of spring plowed 822 lbs. A trial with carrots gave the following results : Fall plowed 1,880 lbs. Spring plowed 1,898 lbs. In every instance for 1889, spring plowing gave better results than fall plowing. This difference was slight, or 280 lbs. corn per acre and 180 lbs. of carrots. It will require much careful investigation to settle conclusively this question. Trials must cover varying years and soils. The fall of 1888 I regarded as an unusually favorable one for fall plowing. The winter MISSOUBI EXPERIMENT STATION. 35 and early spring were dry. I never saw the ground in so loose and fa- vorable a condition after fall plowing during my seven years' work in Missouri. VII. BROAD VERSUS NARROW FURROWS. Several problems are involved in the question of width of furrows. I will let these pass for the present. If broad furrows will give as good re- sults as narrow furrows, then we wish to know it, as plow trials carried on by the writer showed that a furrow of 10.43 inches required 46 per cent more force per square inch to turn it than one of 16.29 inches in width. In a trial at Missouri, a narrow lap furrow gave 3,021 lbs. of corn- fodder and 2,760 lbs. of corn per acre. A broad furrow gave 3,180 lbs. of corn-fodder and 2,990 lbs. of corn. A standard, or fourteen-inch fur- row, gave 2,662 lbs. of corn fodder and 2,890 lbs of corn. An interesting fact was noted with another plat not plowed at all but kept clear of weeds — namely, that the crop was of corn fodder 2,650 lbs. and of corn 3,040 lbs., or more than the plowed sections. As before said, I again state that we know little about tillage and its laws. VIII. SUBSOILING. Several trials reported by me gave results adverse to subsoiling, except in dry years, when subsoiled ground contained more moisture as it did in all years. On our compact subsoil the water runs into the depression forced by the subsoiled section, and in wet years saturates the sub- soiled ground. Will not drainage remedy this evil. Duplicate plats were drained both for subsoiled and non-subsoiled ground crop turnips. The conditions of the trial now being reported, I believe, have been thoroughly sound. The season was dry in early spring, very wet in late spring, and very dry in midsummer — forming a good year for the trial. Lot I., subsoiled, gave 22,020 lbs. of turnips, while Lot II., unsubsoiled, gave 22,270 lbs. Lot III., subsoiled, gave 25,960 lbs., and Lot IV., un- subsoiled, gave 24,860 lbs. Total of subsoiled plats, 47,980 lbs., of non- subsoiled plats, 47,130 lbs. This is a clear draw, or the result is the same as heretofore averaged. I make but little question as the result of several years' trials, that the soils where subsoiling will average to pay are very rare indeed, and that the practice as a whole is unprofitable. IX. DEEP TILLAGE OF CORN. In tests of the relation of dew to soil moisture, and in other tests, I believe that I conclusively found that ground to the depth of its tillage is made dryer by the process. By others, as well as by myself, it has been shown that soil that is tilled retains more moisture in the soil be- neath than untilled soil. How deep we must go to retain the maximum 36 SYNOPSIS OP EXPEEIMENTS, amount of water in the soil, we do not know, nor how deep we must go to cut more roots; and thereby do more injury than the water saved will compensate for. Probably tillage is a damage to corn, except as it saves water and kills weeds. I began trials to ascertain if, when both results are otherwise accomplished, the effect would not be better than when the ground is tilled. BUSHELS. Deep tillage by ordinary two-horse cultivator gave 52 11 a i< " ■< " 65 4 Average 58.7 Shallow tillage by special cultivator, 1 inch deep 76.2 " " " " 84 Average 80.1 Diamond plow 72.8 Ordinary tillage by Albion cultivator, 2 inches deep 73.6 HILLING VERSUS LEVEL CULTURE. This trial was made to ascertain whether the western custom of hilling to kill weeds sacrificed quantity of crop to ease of work. If so, it might have to give way as a practice. BUSHELS. Hilled flat 67 " 76.8 Average 7I.9 Level culture 69 2 " '.'.'.'.■.■.■.■.■.'.■ ■■■■."■■■■■V.'.V.V.'.'."69!5 Average 593 Standard plat— cultivated by the Albion cultivator 64.6 Nothing was sacrificed in hilling. All of these trials were made with care and thoughtfulness, the details of which are all lengthy. X. NO. TIMES OF TILLAGE. The more tillage the more corn, seems to be in the light of modern trials at the Ohio and other stations, an old fallacy, which was founded upon an erroneous view of the functions of tillage of corn. MISSOUEI EXPEEIMENT STATION. 37 BUSHELS. No. tillage plat — weeds cut off above ground June 25 82 Cultivated five times 75 four " 80^ •' three " (58 " twice 80.7 " once 77 Hoed J inch deep with shuffle hoe 80 It is probable that much tillage cuts the roots to their damage and more than the good it does in water saved from evaporation. Given water enough and weeds removed it is probable that tillage will injure the roots more than will be repaid by the good resulting from tillage. The lot upon which the weeds were pulled, that hoed J inch deep, and the following trials seem to indicate such to be the fact. Several lots were sown over with dirt, etc., to cover the pores of the soil and so pre- vent the evaporation that cultivation shuts off' when plats are tilled. LBS. 1-30 acre sown with fine dirt |- inch deep 135 " sand " " 127 " wheat chaff -^ inch deep 127 Average 129.6 Ordinary tillage 141 " 123 " ., 118 Average 127.3 Shuffle hoe 162 " 138 " 118 Average 139.3 Tillage again in the above trials falls behind no tillage when means are taken to remove weeds and conserve moisture in the soil. The above data are not the only data that lead the writer to expect that it will be shown that tillage for corn and for most crops does uot increase the yield over some other methods of removing weeds and holding the water of the soil. Shall we find a substitute for tillage ? XL DEPTH OF HOEING. LBS. CORN. Hoed one inch deep gave 599 '• two inches " ^"" " three " " ^^^ 38 SYNOPSIS OP EXPEBIMENTS, I.BS CORN. Hoed four inches deep gave 618 Standard plat two inches deep gave 646 The soil improved as the plats moved towards deeper hoeing, yet it is evident that deep hoeing did not injure the crop. The soil was cut down to the depths named by the hoe. I "had not the opportunity of testing the moisture in the soil and the root growth as I intended to do. The whole field of tillage and of soil physics requires close investiga- tion untrammeled by former views. XII. TILLAGE OF DRILLED VERSUS CHECK-ROWED CORN. BUSHELS. Cross tilled corn gave 72 Tilled one way gave 69 Again it seems that the check-rowing system does not involve a decrease of crop. I believe this fact, if fact it be, is one of great value and of much consolation to the western corn grower, especially when he reflects that the eastern corn growers still continue the old practices that involve much more cost. XIIL DRAINAGE. Volumes of speculation have been indulged in touching the influence of drainage, and wild views have been set forth. Our season was wet at first and dry thereafter, affording a good year for the test. LBS. Drained plats Undrained plats 866 Crops, mangel wurtzels. No test of the moisture of the soil was made by my successor. The results are all one way and interesting. Soil heavy loam. The plats steadily decrease in yield from No. 1, of the drained plats to No. 6 of the undrained plats. There is no assurance that the gain on the drained plats is not due to soil rather than drainage, XIV. SEED BREEDING. For several years ears selected from tall stalks have given a greater yield of stalks than when selected from short stalks and have averaged to give less corn. The upper ear of twin ears gave 238 lbs. corn and 226 lbs. of stover. The lower ear of twin ears gave 303 lbs. corn and 225 lbs. stover. I desire to find whether the lower ears on stalks are more prolific yielders than the upper ears and their relation to the product of stalk. LBS. LBS. LBS. 2,040 19,950 18,480 1,170 1,675 1,616 MISSOURI EXPEEIMENT STATION. 39 AGAIN. YIELD LBS. tlORN. LBS. STOVER. Standard ears for seed 22.3 193 Ears high up on stalk 195 185 " low on stalk 22.S 1^0 The lower ears in both cases gave by far the best results, and at rate that would make a great profit for the selection of seed at the previous harvest for 100 acres. Ear.s from delicate stalks bearing average ear gave 180 lbs.; stover, 156 lbs. This is a great reduction from the results of above plats. Selected in the bin, the good ear from the delicate stalk is liable to be taken with the results noted above. XV. BAD VERSUS GOOD EARS. LBS. Seed from bad ear gave of corn 93 " " typical ear gave of corn 122 An immediate influence is seen from selection. More pronounced than Galton's theory would lead us to expect. Corn is very plastic ; more so, doubtless, than any other farm crop. It will be seen that the field at the ripening period is the correct place to select seed. Other trials in seed breeding and selection were not far enough advanced to allow of data being taken. XVI. MANURE TRIALS. LBS. Housed versus unhoused manure was used with results as 695 is to 790 No manure gave 606 Fermented manure gave 621 Unfermented manure gave 780 No manure gave 541 Solid and liquid manure sowed together gave 820 Solid manure sowed alone gave 752 Cattle manure gave 908 Horse manure gave 922 Compost manure, ton clay and manure 840 Ton manure 840 The above trials were for fodder corn dried, and for the first year. Their intent is obvious. I particularly desired to measure the value of barns to the west in the trial of housed versus unhoused manure. The result surprises me. I account for it as either the result of the fermenta- tion of the manure out of doors, or as one of the accidents of plat work. All previous trials known to me give opposite results. 40 SYNOPSIS OP EXPEEIMENTS. OTHEE TRIALS. Many other trials were in progress at the time the station was turned over to my successor. These trials covered several problems in agricul- ture involving general principles, but which had not reached even first results. Among these trials was one in rotation of crops that had been laid out with great care, covering 39 plats and designed, not simply to test crop yields, but the relation of the various crops to soil fertility. To accomplish this end some 78 samples of soil were taken for analysis. Some of the plats were kept constantly under grass, and so of each crop, that the relation of cover crops and tillage crops to fertility might be noted. Several types of rotation were laid out. I have not mentioned the work in the hands of the Hortieulturalist and Veterinarian of the station, which covered a wide field for which these members of the station staff were responsible, but which had the earnest support of the director. That work is theirs and will be reported by them, but the matter herein reported has not been given to the public, •fto r i p it li ke l y to b e i n - any other - fo r m, hence this very abbreviated out- line of the work inaugurated by me that had reached preliminary results. Photomount Pamphlet Binder Gaylord Bros., Inc. Makers , Syracuse, N. Y, PAT, JAN 21, 1908 __ Cornell University Library SF 97.S19 Synopsis of experiments, 3 1924 003 064 ■■395" DATE DUE DEMCO 38-297