BREEDS OF BEEF CATTLE 305 



Requirements of the Working Horses. 



Dry Matter in Rations. The total volume of feed which an 

 animal requires, although rather variable, has its limits. In com- 

 puting rations the most convenient indication of the bulk of the 

 feeds is the percentage of dry matter shown in the first column of 

 the table on page 15. In very general terms it may be said that a 

 1,000-pound ruminant should be given from 20 to 30 pounds of 

 dry matter per day, 25 pounds being perhaps a fair average, while 

 for the horse smaller amounts will be appropriate. 



A study of the table shows that concentrated feeding stuffs con- 

 tain much more protein and energy in proportion to their dry mat- 

 ter than do the forage crops. Evidently, then, in heavy feeding, 

 where the purpose is to give the animal all the feed possible, the ra- 

 tion should consist as largely as practicable of concentrated feeding 

 stuffs, because only in that way can the required amount of food be 

 obtained, without unduly increasing the bulk of the ration. On the 

 other hand, in light feeding the coarse fodders may predominate, 

 because they are usually relatively cheaper and can supply the re- 

 quired amount of food in a bulk which the animal can consume. 



THE COMPUTATION OF RATIONS. 



General Considerations. In the foregoing pages we have con- 

 sidered the requirements of the animal machine for repair material 

 (protein), and for fuel material (energy), and have also studied the 

 food as a source of these two. If we knew exactly the requirements of 

 the animal in any given case, and if we knew exactly what amounts 

 of protein and energy the feeding stuffs at our disposal could furnish, 

 the computation of a ration would be almost purely a matter of arith- 

 metic. We would simply have to devise a mixture of the feeding 

 stuffs which would yield the requisite amounts of protein and energy 

 and would at the same time be of suitable bulk and of such a char- 

 acter as to exert no injurious action upon the animal. 



As a matter of fact, we have no such exact knowledge. Prac- 

 tically, animals vary in their requirements, while feeding stuffs of 

 the same name show a wide range in composition, digestibility, and 

 nutritive value. Furthermore, what is still more important, the 

 economic conditions vary from case to case so that, for example, a 

 very liberal ration might be advisable in one instance, while for the 

 same animal under different conditions it would be highly uneco- 

 nomic. The figures given on previous pages can not be made the 

 basis of infallible recipes which shall save the user the trouble of 

 observing and thinking. 



