44 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



and the increased value of the fertiUzer resuhing from the extra 

 grain. Considered from the standpoint of butter alone, there was 

 a larger profit at four pounds than at eight. They found that as 

 they increased the ration to 12 pounds the profit of the extra feed 

 practically disappeared, the net profit was less than it was at four 

 pounds. That does not constitute a rule for you, it is simply a 

 hint, giving you some idea of the limits within which you can 

 work. 



I suppose you would naturally expect me to say on this sub- 

 ject a few words about the balanced ration. \Miat is it? Our 

 cattle foods are made up of carbohydrates, protein and fat, as 

 well as certain other things which we ordinarily ignore because 

 whatever the feed of the cow she gets enough of these other ele- 

 ments. The primary function of protein is to make the lean 

 meat, cartilage, etc., and the casein or the cheesy matter of the 

 milk. The carbohydrates constitute the heat and energy produc- 

 ing element ; and the fat in the food is reckoned as a part of the 

 carbohydrates, though it is reckoned at a little over twice its 

 value. Of course this is a very brief and incomplete statement 

 of the functions of the different food elements, but it will serve 

 the present purpose. Now the balance of a ration is simply the 

 proportion between these elements. If it is said that a ration is 

 balanced i to 5 it simply means that it contains one part of pro- 

 tein to five parts of carbohydrates and fat, the fat of the ration 

 having been multiplied by two and a fraction (2% to 2^) 

 because of its inferior value before being added to the carbo- 

 hydrates. All of our common foods have been repeatedly ana- 

 lyzed and the results published in many bulletins and periodicals. 

 Any farmer of average intelligence can figure his own rations if 

 he pleases. The protein is the difficult element to raise, the 

 expensive one to buy. 



When it is said that a cow must have a balanced ration it 

 simply means, as far as I am able to see, that she must have a 

 sufficiency of each one of these elements, and if she does not get 

 a sufficiency of these different elements she may starve to death 

 just as surely as if you did not give her any feed whatsoever, 

 although to some extent the cow may substitute one food ele- 

 ment for another. This involves wa'ste, however. 



No experiment station can lay down a rule as to what is a 

 balanced ration for vou or for me. What would be a balanced 



