6t)ii ANNUAL KKI'OKI Ul'" 'IHK Utt. Uoc 



1. Uxeu at real iu the stall, L:12.0 



2. Fattening oxen, main period, 1:5.5 



3. Fattening swine, main period, l:G.O 



4. Growing cattle, 2 to 3 months old, 1:4.7 



5. Growing cattle, 18 to 24 months old, 1:8.0 



6. Milk cows, 1:5.4 



7. Wool sheep, finer breeds, 1:8.0 



8. Horses, moderately worked, 1:7.0 



9. Horses, heavily worked, 1:5.5 



Comparison of these ratios with those of the feeding stuffs of 

 domestic production at once shows that so long as pasture is abund- 

 ant, growing animals, milk cows and work horses can readily secure 

 the food fitted for their use. In the earlier days of xVmerican agri- 

 culture, little more than mere maintenance of farm animals was 

 attempted during the winter months. For this purpose, the hay of 

 timothy and other true grasses, corn stover and oat straw as roughage 

 and corn and the more costly oats as grains, served excellently well; 

 the latter grain being chiefly reserved, however, for the feeding of 

 driving horses and possibly the family cow. The problem of secur- 

 ing a fitting food is much more difficult, however, in these days of 

 intensive farming with restricted pasturage areas; of winter dairying 

 with the consequent winter feeding of the calves that are reserved 

 for raising; and of increased demand for lean as contrasted with fat 

 meat. 



The use of the process of ensilage in connection with intensive 

 farming and winter dairying has ensured a supply of succulent food 

 with valuable dietetic results, but, as it is usually conducted, has 

 not materially improved the nutritive ratio of the average ration. 

 The emploA'ment, also, of immature soiling crops in the spring and 

 early summer, at a time when pastures are not yet ready to receive 

 the herds and flocks, has reduced somewhat the period during which 

 the wide-ratio roughage must chiefly be relied upon. The substi- 

 tution of roots for any large portion of the ration is not esteemed 

 practicable with the small animals preferred in America for dairy 

 purposes, because of the bulky nature of the food, as well as because 

 of its comparatively high cost. The use of clover and similar legumes 

 for the purpose of securing narrower nutritive ratios in the rations 

 of working, growing and milk-producing animals has very largely 

 increased, with highly advantageous results in quality and yield 

 of i)roduct ; but a limit is speedily reached in practice beyond which 

 the substitution of clover for corn stover or corn silnge and for a 

 portion of the grain food is not advantageous to the animal and is 

 not economical of the entire product of any knowTi general system of 

 farming in America, whore the corn crop is so important a part of 

 every wifloly accppted rotation 



