6 



poor in protein. Wliat lie wanted was milk ; and milk is rich in 

 protein. He gave his cows only enough protein to make fourteen 

 pounds of milk, and so the yield dwindled down to that amount. 

 Then David wondered why he did not get thirty pounds, like John. 

 Probably he upbraided the man from whom he had bought the 

 cows, or kicked against his " luck." He should know that there is 

 a reason for everything. 



On the other hand, the hay and meal which David was feeding 

 are very rich fat-forming foods. He was not only stinting his cows 

 on milk-producing food, but was also giving them more fattening 

 food than the cows really needed. John was feeding a balanced 

 ration / David was feeding an unbalanced ration. It will pay 

 everv farmer who reads this to lind out if he is not abusing: his beast 

 and robbing his pocketbook as David did. 



9. A balanced ration is one which contains the nutritive mate- 

 rials {protein, carbohydrates and fat ) in those proportions which 

 experience has shown to produce the best results. The composition 

 of a ration should vary with the different animals and icith the 

 end in view. — What is a balanced ration for a horse may not be for 

 a sheep. Again, a particular ration may be balanced for a cow 

 when she is in milk, but not when we wish to fatten lier for the 

 butcher. A ration suitable for a hard worked ox is not a good one 

 for this ox during a period of rest. Let us find out why this is so. 



When an animal is hard worked, there is a great strain on the 

 muscles, tendons, etc. (working machinery), of the body and this is 

 best kept in order by feeding a ration which contains a large propor- 

 tion of the repairing and muscle forming nutrient protein. If the 

 animal is at rest in the stall there is no severe strain on the working 

 machinery of the body and in such cases rations containing much 

 smaller proportions of protein as compared to the carbohydrates 

 and fat should be fed. 



10. Only a part of the protein, carbohydrates and fat is digesti- 

 ble. — Foods are valuable as sources of nourishment only in so far as 

 they can be digested and assimilated. The chemist analyzes a food 

 and tells exactly how much protein, carbohydrates and fat it con- 

 tains, but he is unable to say how much of each is digestible. 



542 



