FEEDS AND FEEDING 



" These nutrients," says Brooks, " when di- 

 gested, serve to protect the more costly protein 

 from over-consumption by the vital processes, 

 and are probably a main source of material for 

 the manufacture of millc fat." In order, then, 

 that the food shall meet the proper requirements 

 it must contain the three nutrients in such propor- 

 tion as will best meet the special object in view. 

 It has been decided, after innumerable experi- 

 ments by the best authorities, that for the most 

 economical production of milk, and butter-fat, 

 a ration in the proportion of 1 15.4 should be fed. 

 Translating these figures into words, and quoting 

 Brooks, we find that " a nutritive ratio designates 

 the relation which exists between the total nitro- 

 gen-containing constituents of a food (crude pro- 

 tein) and the total digestible non-nitrogenous 

 constituents. The statement that the nutritive 

 ratio of a given food or combination of feeds is 

 I :5.4 means simply that It contains five times as 

 great a quantity of digestible carbohydrates and 

 fat as of digestible protein." 



I fear this knowledge would be of little prac- 

 tical use to the average man of business unfa- 

 81 



