I3<^ AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



The result of all of this work has established a standard. This 

 requires for a i,ooo lbs. cow, not in milk, and kept comfortable,, 

 a daily ration of enough dry matter to supply seven-tenths of a 

 pound of digestible protein and nine pounds digestible carbo- 

 hydrates. A cow will maintain her normal weight upon this 

 ration. If the cow is to make production, the digestible nutrients 

 must be increased in proportion to the amount of milk she pro- 

 duces. Conceding these statements as to amount of food 

 required to be true, the question with the feeder at once is, how 

 can I combine a ration to best accomplish this result which at 

 the same time shall be most economical ? 



Every farmer must work out to quite an extent for himself 

 the business side of feeding, taking into account the things he 

 grows on his farm and the markets. In order to do this he must 

 know something about the composition of the hay and grain 

 produced. A few years ago that was not an easy task, but now^ 

 owing to the free distribution of Experiment Station bulletins, 

 every up-to-date farmer is reasonably well posted in all of these 

 things. 



I will give a few sample rations to illustrate this diflference in 

 composition and the necessity of knowing what the ration con- 

 tains. The first is one that many farmers used in the past and 

 then wondered why they did not get more milk from their cows.. 



CKvbo- 

 Dry Matter. Protein, liydraies. 



Corn Stover '. 20 lbs. 1-2 lbs. 0.34 6.«8 



Timothy Hwy 10 Ib^. 8.6& lb;;. 0.58 4.^6• 



Corn ami cob meal 4 lbs. 3.40 lbs. 0.17 2.66 



24.08 .79 14.40 



This ration has sufficient dry matter, and rather more than, 

 the required amount of heat and energy- producing elements, but 

 when we come to the protein we find only a fraction more than 

 the required amount to build up the worn-out animal tissue. If 

 the cow makes 30 lbs. of milk she must put into the solids of 

 that milk, about one pound of casein, a nitrogenous substance, 

 which she must supply from the protein of her ration. If you 

 do not supply the protein she will take the lean meat from her 

 own body to make normal milk which she is bound to do, grow- 

 ing poorer each day and in nature's effort to protect itself, 

 shrinking rapidly in amount of milk. 



