210 PRINCIPLES OF FEEDING 



The ration so far is lacking in food at every point. We 

 must select foods for the remainder of the ration that 

 have a narrow ratio. Let us add three pounds of bran. 

 This will produce the following result: 



Excess .02 Excess .4 



Comparing our result with the standard, we find that 

 the weight of dry matter is equal to the requirement. It 

 has an excess of .02 Ib. of the amount required for protein. 

 The amount of carbohydrates is close enough to the stand- 

 ard for all practical purposes. It is not necessary that the 

 ration be brought exactly to the standard; but, in the 

 amounts of protein and carbohydrates, it should not 

 vary much from it. If the amount of dry matter vary 

 two or three pounds either way, it will make but little 

 difference. 



Cost and Feeding. The wise farmer will figure the 

 cost of the different food stuffs very carefully to find out 

 what is the most profitable to feed. It is often best to 

 sell some of the foods having a wide ratio, such as hay 

 and potatoes, and to purchase foods having a narrow ra- 

 tio, such as cotton-seed or linseed meal. 



than the "medium" ratio; a "narrow" ratio means less of the carbohydrates. 

 For a dairy cow, the ratio of i : 6 might be considered a medium ratio; i : 4, a 

 narrow ratio; and i : 12, a wide ratio. 



