380 



THE HORSE 



To illustrate how these tables may be used, we will examine a 

 system of feeding which the writer observed the present season in 

 a certain section of the state, and was told was quite extensively 

 practiced. The section referred to is devoted almost exclusively 

 to dairying, and timothy hay constitutes the greater portion of the 

 coarse fodder during the feeding season. Oats are about the only 

 grain grown. Corn is purchased and ground with the oats, in 

 about equal weights, to make "chop," which is fed with the hay. 

 The cows will not greatly vary from 1,000 pounds live weight. 

 While these cows are in full flow of milk in the spring before 

 pasture is ready, they are fed about 20 pounds of hay and 8 

 pounds of chop per day. Turning to the tables, we find that 20 

 pounds of hay, 4 pounds of oats and 4 pounds of corn contain 

 digestible nutrients as follows: 



Upon comparison of the nutrients furnished by this ration with 

 Wolff's standard as given in Table I, it is discovered that while 

 the dry matter and total nutrients are not far out of the way, the 

 protein is much too small, the carbohydrates and fat are some- 

 what too great, while the nutritive ratio is far too wide. 



This result might readily have been foreseen had we paused a 

 moment to note the nutritive ratio of each of the three foods 

 entering into the ration. They are, timothy hay, 1: 16 6; oats, 

 1:6.2; corn, 1:9.7. Neither of them is as narrow as the stan- 

 dard, and it is impossible to combine them into a ration that is 

 approximately balanced. As corn is a purchased product, the 

 natural suggestion is that the corn should be replaced by some 

 food having a high proportion of protein, or, in other words, a 

 very narrow nutritive ratio. Consulting the table, it is found 

 that among such are linseed meal, cotton-seed meal, gluten feed, 



