FODDERS AND FEEDS. 165 



product. This is even more striking if only the coarse 

 products hay, straw, stalks, and corn are retained by 

 the farmer for his purposes ; hence, in the purchase of 

 feeds that shall balance rations made from home-grown 

 produce, those should be selected which show a narrow 

 nutritive ration or an excess of protein. 



Actual Practice is Often Wasteful. In too many 

 cases in actual practice, in order to enrich the ration 

 fed, constituents are added that are already in excess ; 

 and hence, while an increase in result may be obtained, 

 there is also an increased waste of valuable constituents. 

 To add corn meal, an excellent food product, to corn 

 fodder or corn stalks, that is, carbohydrates to carbo- 

 hydrates, in the preparation of rations for dairy cows, 

 may increase the product of the dairy, but it is by 

 virtue of an increased total consumption of food, because 

 of the more concentrated character of the ration, rather 

 than by an economical use of the constituents. A waste 

 of food is only warranted when it is cheaper to waste 

 than to utilize. 



Economy in Selling Grain and Buying Feed. In 

 many cases, too, the cost of the nutrients in the com- 

 mercial concentrated feeds is much less than is secured 

 by the farmer for the same nutrients in whole grains ; 

 under such circumstances, to sell the larger part of his 

 grain and hay crops, and to purchase in return those 

 feeds which will enable him to utilize his coarse prod- 

 ucts, like straw and corn stalks, to the best advantage, 

 is a desirable practice. It must be remembered that the 

 waste or refuse feed products usually consist of parts 

 of grain, and hence, so far as nutrients go, are quite 

 as serviceable as the original products. 



