1889.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 421 



animals and milch cows require a richer food, — i. e., a 

 closer relation of digestible nitrogenous and non-nitrog- 

 enous organic constituents in their feed, — to do their best, 

 than full-grown animals and moderately-worked horses and 

 oxen. German investigators recommend a combination of 

 fodder articles, in other respects suitable, which contains 

 one part of nitrogenous organic constituents to 5.4 parts of 

 digestible non-nitrogenous constituents. 



2. Oommercial Value or Actual Cost of a Fodder Article. 



The composition of the various articles of food used in 

 farm practice exerts a decided influence on the manurial 

 value of the animal excretions resulting from their use in 

 the diet of different kinds of farm live stock. The more 

 potash, phosphoric acid, and in particular nitrogen, a fodder 

 ingredient contains, the more valuable will be, under other- 

 wise corresponding circumstances, the manurial residue left 

 behind, after it has served its purpose as a constituent of 

 the food consumed. 



As the financial success in most farm managements depends 

 in a considerable degree on the amount, the character and 

 the cost of the manurial refuse material secured in connec- 

 tion with the special farm industry carried on, it needs no 

 further argument to prove that the relations which exist 

 between the composition of the fodder, and the value of the 

 manure resulting, deserve the careful consideration of the 

 farmer when devising an efficient and at the same time an 

 economical diet for his live stock. 



The question whether one or the other fodder mixture will 

 prove ultimately, under otherwise corresponding circum- 

 stances, the cheapest one, can only be answered intelligently 

 when both the original cost of the feed consumed and the 

 value of the manurial residue subsequently obtained are 

 duly considered. 



An examination of the fodder articles used in connection 

 with our investigations shows, for instance, the following 

 relation between their first cost and the commercial value of 

 their fertilizing constituents ; — 



