ECONOMY IN FEEDING LIVE STOCK 143 



This table does not assume to represent average conditions in any 

 district of the country, but illustrates the manner in which any stockman 

 may compare the relative economy of the different available feeds at 

 local prices. The last column shows clearly that under these particular 

 conditions ground corn is by far the cheapest source of total digestible 

 nutrients among the concentrates. Moreover, at the prices stated it 

 furnishes total digestible nutrients at less cost than any of the roughages 

 except corn silage. Next to ground corn and corn silage in economy in 

 supplying total digestible nutrients, conies red clover hay. This furnishes 

 each pound of total digestible nutrients at 1.38 cents, while the cost in 

 timothy hay is 1.55 cents. In addition, clover is much richer in protein 

 than is timothy and is much more satisfactory from other standpoints 

 for feeding dairy cows. (347, 609, 614) 



With feeds at the prices indicated, it will be noted that the protein- 

 rich concentrates are all more expensive as sources of total digestible 

 nutrients than corn, oats, barley, hominy feed, or corn and oat feed. 

 Therefore for economy in feeding, only sufficient of these supplements 

 should be fed to balance the ration properly. 



For balancing a ration deficient in protein, choice cottonseed meal will 

 furnish digestible crude protein at decidedly the lowest cost, 4.73 cents 

 per pound. Next comes linseed meal, supplying digestible crude protein 

 at 5.79 cents a pound, and then gluten feed, furnishing it at 6.94 cents a 

 pound. In supplying protein these feeds will of course also furnish 

 carbohydrates and fat as well, which are included in the total digestible 

 nutrients along with the protein. 



Wheat bran supplies protein less economically than cottonseed meal, 

 linseed meal, or gluten feed at the prices stated, but furnishes total 

 digestible nutrients at slightly less cost than the cottonseed or linseed 

 meal. Dried beet pulp is an uneconomical feed at $27 per ton, if con- 

 sidered merely from the standpoint of the nutrients it furnishes. How- 

 ever, it may be desirable to use wheat bran or perhaps dried beet pulp in 

 the ration on account of their palatability and bulkiness, especially for 

 high producing cows. At these prices alfalfa meal is considerably less 

 economical than wheat bran. 



194. A corn-belt ration for milk production. From the feeds listed 

 let us now formulate the most economical ration which will be satis- 

 factory for a 1,200-lb. cow yielding daily 30 Ibs. of 3.5 per ct. milk. For 

 this cow there is required, according to the Morrison, or modified Wolff- 

 Lehmann standards (Appendix Table V), a daily allowance of 2.31 to 

 2.67 Ibs. digestible crude protein and 18.03 to 18.99 Ibs. total digestible 

 nutrients. As is pointed out in other chapters, feeding the larger 

 amounts of digestible crude protein and total digestible nutrients will 

 result in greater production, but may not sometimes be most profitable. 

 The ration should contain from 25 to 30 Ibs. of dry matter, and should 

 have a nutritive ration no wider than 1 : 6.1 to 1 : 7.2. (186, 572-3) 



