MILK AS" THE SOLE DIET OF RUMINANTS 



513 



milk consumption of the calves while suckling was the same as 

 in the succeeding- days of the first 10-day period. From these 

 figures the total amounts of nutrients actually consuimed by the 

 animals were obtained while the nutrients required to keep 

 the animals in good growing condition were obtained from the 

 modified Wollf-uehmann feeding standard. 



The actual surplus or deficit of nutrients supplied will be 

 more valua:ble for comparative purposes. 



TABLE VII. 

 EXCESS OF NUTRIENTS SUPPLIED TO CALVES. 



It is evident that throughout the experiment the calves were 

 receiving enough total digestible nutrients to keep them growing 

 and increasing in live weight though the excess of nutrients 

 decreased as the work advanced. The same holds true for the 

 supply of digestible crude protein though in this case the ex. 

 cess was never so great and in the last 30-day period considered 

 there was a small deficit. The supply of dry matter was sufficient 

 for the needs of the calves during the first 30-day period only 

 and from then on there was a deficit which rapidly became 

 larger. 



Apparently the calves were being supplied with sufficient 

 digestible nutrients to keep them gi'owing and in good thrift, 

 but they were not aible to utilize those nutrients. At first their 

 demand for dry matter, other than digestible nutrients, was 

 negligible, but as they became older this demand increased more 

 rapidly than did the need for digestible nutrients. The absence 

 of this dry matter, which should have bee a provided in the 

 form of roughage, led to inefficient digestive activity and conse- 

 quently the animals were unable to utilize the nutrients which 

 they consumed and so they failed to grow normally. 

 33 



