FEEDING STUFFS. 



15 



The ration now corresponds fairly well with the proposed 

 American feeding ration; there is a small deficit of dry matter 

 and of digestible protein; 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. 

 Cows, like all farm animals, vary greatly in their productive 

 capacity, as well as in their food requirements, and their capacity 

 to make economical use of their feed; hence feeding standards 

 can only be applied to average conditions, a point which should 

 always be kept in mind in using them. 



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 stuflfs; 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 cow 

 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 feeds to buy; the 

 conditions in the different sections of our 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 



