Principles and Practice of Stock Feeding 21 



Let us as a preliminary trial take 10 pounds hay, 25 pounds silage, 4 

 pounds bran and 1 pound each of cottonseed meal and Buffalo gluten feed. 

 Turning to the " convenience table " we find the total dry matter, digesti- 

 ble protein and carbohydrates, etc. , calculated for these weights. 



Dry Digestible Digestible Nutritive 



matter protein carbohydrates ratio 



Hay, 10 pounds 8.5 0.44 4.4 



Silage, 25 pounds 6.0 0.30 4.5 



Bran, 4 pounds 3.5 0.48 1.8 



Cottonseed meal, 1 pound... 0.'.» 0.40 0.4 



Buffalogluten feed, 1 pound 0.9 0.23 0.6 



Total 20.4 1.85 11.7 1:6.3 



Standard 28.8 2.97 13.3 1:4.5 



How do they compare ? Eight pounds short in total dry matter, one 

 pound short in protein, one and one-half pounds short in carbohydrates ; 30 

 per cent lacking in dry matter, nearly 40 per cent in protein, but only 12 per 

 cent short in carbohydrates. What shall be used to bring the ration up? 

 More roughage will increase carbohydrates faster than protein ; more 

 bran will do the same, but not as rapidly ; more cottonseed meal will not, 

 and more gluten feed will help more than it will hinder. Inasmuch as it 

 is of doubtful wisdom to feed cottonseed meal very heavily, let us see what 

 the addition of two pounds of cottonseed meal and 1 pound of gluten feed 

 will do. 



Dry Digestible Digestible Nutritive 



matter protein carbohydrates ratio 



Cottonseed meal, 2 pounds L.8 0.80 0.8 



Buffalo gluten feed, 1 pound.. 9 0.23 0.6 



2.7 1.03 1.4 



Former result 20.4 1.85 11.7 



Newtotal 23.1 2.88 12.8 1:4.4 



Standard 28.8 2.97 13.3 1:4.5 



The ration now " balances " yet is still nearly 6 pounds short of total 



dry matter. Since the ration is a shade narrow rather than wide, one will 



naturally add now the material with the widest ratio, i. e., silage. 



But there is a limit to the bulk the animal can handle so that hay may be 



preferable with some animals. Let us increase the hay two and one-half 



pounds. 



Dry mat- Digestible Digestible Nutritive 



ter protein carbohydrates ratio 



Hay, 2$ pounds 2.1 0.11 1.1 



Second total 23.1 2.88 12.8 



New total 25.2 2.99 13.9 1:4.6 



Standard 28.8 2.97 13.3 1:4.5 



