Computing Rations for Farm Animals. 153 



Upon comparison of. the nutrients furnished bj- this ration 

 with Wolff's standard as given in Table I, it is discovered that 

 while the dry matter and total nutrients are not far out of the 

 way, the protein is much too small, the carbohj^drates and fat 

 are somewhat too great, while the nutritive ratio is far too wide. 



This result might readily have been foreseen had we paused a 

 moment to note the nutritive ratio of each of the three foods 

 entering into the ration. They are, timothy hay, 1:16.6 ; oats, 

 1:6.2; corn, 1:9.7. Neither of them is as narrow as the 

 standard, and it is impossible to combine them into a ration that 

 is approximately balanced. As corn is a purchased product the 

 natural suggestion is that the corn should be replaced by some 

 food having a high proportion of protein, or in other words, a 

 very narrow nutritive ratio. Consulting the table, it is found 

 that among such are linseed meal, cotton-seed meal, gluten feed, 

 malt sprouts, buckwheat middlings, etc. As buckwheat 

 middlings is a N. Y. State product and can readily be put in 

 stock during the winter, it is suggested to substitute it for the 

 corn in the ration. Again taking the figures from the table we 

 have : — 



Dry matter. Protein. C. H. and Fat. Total. 



20 lbs. timothy hay i7-4o .560 9.300 9.860 



4 lbs. oats 3.56 ,368 2.272 2.640 



4 lbs. buckwheat mid's. 3.48 .880 1.824 2.704 



Total 24.44 1,808 13-396 15.204 



Nutritive ratio 1:7.4 



When this ration is much improved over the previous one and 

 will produce a more abundant flow of milk it is still too wide to 

 produce the best results. • 



If the timothy hay is reduced two pounds, and two pounds of 

 cotton-seed meal put in its place we get : — 



Dry matter. Protein. C. H. and Fat. Total. 



18 lbs. timothy hay 15.66 .504 8.370 8.874 



4 lbs. oats 3.56 .368 2.272 2.640 



4 lbs. buckwheat mid's. 3.48 .880 1.824 2.704 



2 lbs. cotton-seed meal. . 1.84 .744 .888 1.632 



Total 24.54 2.496 13-354 15-850 



Nutritive ratio 1:5.3 



