76 How to Make Creamery Butter on the Farm 



A point to be brought out here is, that you will 

 notice that some foods are almost perfectly balanced 

 insofar as nutritive ratio is maintained. 



It might be well to explain this point. For exam- 

 ple, take clover hay and mangles. The ratio of these 

 is a trifle wider than 1:5. It might be best to say 

 here that neither one alone is a perfect feed. The 

 reason for this is that their bulk is not in proper pro- 

 portion to their protein and nutrients. The cows fed 

 upon clover hay would have swallowed more than 

 enough dry matter without obtaining a sufficient quan- 

 tity of nutrient. And again, in eating thirty pounds 

 of mangles, the cow would get only 2.7 pounds of dry 

 matter and at the same time less than a half pound 

 of protein. 



The point to be emphasized here, is that nutritive 

 ratio must not be confused with a completed ration. 



The purpose of these instructions in regard to ra- 

 tions is that we desire to help all to obtain the ideal 

 ration at the lowest cost to help you see to it that 

 the cows get a sufficient quantity of food, containing 

 the correct amount of digestible nutrients, together 

 with the milk forming elements in their proper pro- 

 portion to the heat forming elements. 



Balanced Rations for Milch Cows. 



The trouble with the usual formula for balanced ra- 

 tions is that it is not practical for most farmers, as 

 they may not have the desired elements on hand. 

 The following rations are made up of different mate- 

 rials, so as to conform with the feed that you may 

 happen to have on your farm. Any one of these ra- 

 tions is equally good. The number of pounds stated 



