466 FEEDING FARM ANIMALS 



by-products. In some instances bran may be purchased and 

 fed with great advantage. In other instances it would be 

 fed at a loss. But because of the favorable influence of 

 bran and oil cake and some other products on digestion apart 

 from their feeding value, it may be profitable to purchase 

 and feed them in small quantity when the price gets be- 

 yond the value of profitable feeding based on the nutrients 

 which these foods contain. 



The relative suitability of foods purchased to the use 

 that is to be made of them should be duly considered when 

 purchases are made. The cheapest concentrate viewed 

 from the standpoint of nutrients may not be the cheapest, 

 because it does not contain the requisite nutrients to furnish 

 a balanced ration along with the other foods already on 

 hand with which it must be fed. In yet other instances, 

 the food thus purchased may not be the cheapest, though it 

 is the best balancer of the ration, because of its relative ex- 

 pense. Another food which does not furnish so perfect a 

 balance may be cheaper because of its low price or because 

 it exercises a favorable influence on digestion. 



Grains may sometimes be sold with profit in order to 

 purchase other foods to feed in their stead. The grower 

 for instance may have an abundant supply of oats and be 

 short of corn for feeding. Oats may be relatively high and 

 corn relatively cheap. In such instances profit may result 

 from selling oats and buying corn, rather than from feed- 

 ing oats without corn. Another who is a swine grower 

 may have an abundant supply of both corn and oats. Since 

 neither of these fed alone is suitable for young pigs as 

 the sole ration, and since the same is true of them when 

 fed in conjunction, it will usually be profitable to sell a 

 certain amount of one or the other of these grains and to 

 purchase wheat middlings to be fed in its stead. That, of 

 course, should be sold which will bring the best price. But 

 when these exchanges, so to speak, are made, a due regard 

 must be had to the cost of transportation of the food sold 

 and also of that purchased. 



