EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 267 



nearly, if not quite every feeding stuff on the list. Of this information 

 he should avail himself and should modify his adopted ration accord- 

 ingly. It may be that his cheapest ration is not available because 

 some one component is illy adapted to the production of milk for the 

 purpose he wants it. When fed, the ration may produce too soft butter, 

 or too hard, or it may be that while the calculated amount of dry 

 matter, protein and other constituents, is theoretically correct, the com- 

 bination is distasteful to the cow or does not keep her bowels in their 

 normal condition. All of these factors must be considered and given 

 due weight in practical dairy feeding. With all the information he 

 can obtain from bulletins or other sources, and with all the experi- 

 ence obtained from feeding good and poor cows through many years, 

 it is, after all, that indefinable something that we call judgment that 

 determines the adaptability of the ration and the production of profit 

 from feeding cows. 



With the materials in our supposed case the following combinations 

 are suggested: 



Ration 5. 



Forty pounds of silage, 10 pounds timothy hay, 5 pounds of pea meal, 

 4 pounds of gluten meal, this ration gives the results as under: 



Dry matter - • - - - - 24.99 pounds. 



Protein - - - - - - - 2.29 pounds. 



Carbohydrates - - - - - 13 47 pounds. 



Fat - - - - - - - -.83 pounds. 



Cost $0,164 



Ration G. 



If 15 pounds of clover hay be substituted in this ration for the 10 

 pounds of timothy hay and 4 pounds of gluten meal the results will be 



Dry matter ...... 25.58 pounds. 



Protein - - - - - - - 2.23 pounds. 



Carbohydrates - 12.6(3 pounds. 



Fat -------- .523 pounds. 



Cost ------- f;0.135 



A ration nearly as efficient and three cents per day cheaper. 

 Still other combinations, without silage as a basis, are suggested. 



Ration 7. 



Corn stalks, 8 pounds; clover hay, 10 pounds; corn meal, 4 pounds; 

 wheat bran, 10 pounds, containing 



Dry matter - - 25.52 pounds. 



Protein ------- 2.35 pounds. 



Carbohydrates - - - - - 13.22 pounds. 



Fat - - - - - - - -.63 pounds. 



Cost - $0.1036 



A ration rather high in dry matter, but very cheap and worth trying. 



