FEEDING STUFFS. 



13 



The ration now corresponds very well with the proposed 

 American feeding ration; there is a small deficit of organic 

 matter and of digestible fat ; but there is no necessity of trying 

 to follow any standard ration blindly, as they are only intended 

 to be approximate gauges which the farmer may use in estimat- 

 ing the quantities of nutrients required by farm animals in 

 order to do their best, cost and product both being considered. 



In constructing rations according to the above feeding 

 standards, several points must be considered besides the chemi- 

 cal composition and the digestibility of the feeding stuffs ; the 

 standards cannot be followed directly without regard to bulk 

 and other properties of the fodder ; the ration must not be 

 too bulky, and still must contain a sufficient quantity of rough- 

 age to keep up the rumination of the animals, in case of cows 

 and sheep, and to secure a healthy condition of the animals 

 generally. The local market prices of cattle foods are of the 

 greatest importance in determining which foods to buy ; the 

 conditions in the different sections of our great continent differ 

 so greatly in this respect that no generalizations can be made. 

 Generally speaking, nitrogenous concentrated feeds are the 

 cheapest feeds in the South and the East, and flour-mill, 

 brewery, and starch-factory refuse feeds the cheapest in the 

 Northwest. 



