St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1884-10-18
Extraordinary Tests and Extraordinary
Consumption If Food.

An interesting feature In a number OF
recent tests of cows for butter or milk
products is the great quantity of food
consumed. In sSrme cases the state
,nents made havb been received with
openly expressed lncredulity, even when
they have been accompanied by alfida-
Wits to their correctness. Regarding at
least one case thee has been u number
of newspaper articles to show that the
quantity of food stated to have been
consumed each Gday was really the
quantity eaten in j week. There is, how
ever, abundant evidence of the truth
fulness of some of the statements Of
surprisingly large quantities eaten even
by small Jersey COWS. Great skill has
been shown by come of the men in
charge of the feeding in apparently
going to the last Axtreme without over
stepping the limit of safety. In many
cases the appetite of the animal is
skillfully stimulated by the use of con-
diments, by offering the food in small
quantities at frequent intervals, and by
changes of foods Close watch is kept
over the animal, :the thermometer being
frequently used 10 test the temperature
of the body and show the first signs of
fever.
With the mos careful management
there is undoubtedly an element of
danger attending very high feeding; but
tent of this danger. Many animals fed
to lay on fat arr carefully fed all they
can be induced 10 consume, month after
month, sometinSe les year after year, and
frequently with no apparent injury to
health. The tier hereof saw Mary
Anne, of st. La ,ert soon after the close
of her wonderful test, extending over
nearly years. during which she had
been highly fed, and on the same day,
the two noted fit show cattle at Bow
Park, one of which has been ''crowded''
since his birth, ;the other more than q
year. All three seemed in good health.
Was the strain ton the milk cow much
greater than th8t on the fat animalsP
She gave MECH greater quantity Of
product, in her milk, than did the
others in accumulation of flesh; but is
it certain that there was a greater tax
on her system?: 1t has frequently been
pointed out that the cost of the food
eaten by the coy, in some reported tests,
exceeds the value of the butter pro-
duced. IF we count the cost of super
intendence and of the extra labor in
volved, it is not probable that the value
of the butter equals the total cost in any
''oficial test: 1t is equally true that
the cost of preparing good many ami
mails which hage won honors at our fat
stock shows Eave been greater than
their value; bit there is an interest and
value in ascertsIining the possibilities Of
production, ard we would not discour-
age reasonable number of tests made
for this purpose without reference to cost
It is clearlg true, however, that re-
suits reached by methods reasonably
approximatin& those which practical
feeders and d$irymen find profitable in
practice haveta more direct value than
those which age the result of extra feed
ing. There il as much pleasure derived
in chronicling the result of remarka-
BILE test whese the milk cow how has
been fed onlysmodeate rations as where
a still greater product has come from a
greater consumption of food. Results
where a remarkable product has been
secured at croft to the feeder are the
most desirable to record. Breeders
Gnzetfo