The cereals and non-leguminous coarse fodders have medium 

 to wide ratios, leguminous coarse fodders medium ratios, and the 

 leguminous seeds and concentrated by-products narrow ratios. 



5. Combining Coarse and Concentrated Feeds (Balanced 



Rations). 



Desirable rations for dairy stock should possess (a) palata- 

 bility, (6) sufficient bulk, and (c) 1 part of protein to 5.5 to 

 7 parts of the other digestible organic nutrients. If the ratio 

 is much narrower than 1 to 5.5, the ration is likely to be too 

 stimulating for continuous feeding, and the animal is likely to 

 become thin in flesh. If the ratio is much wider than 1 to 7, 

 the tendency will be for the animal to put on fat rather than 

 to give milk. In both cases the ration may be said to be out 

 of balance. 



For both economical and physiological reasons it is necessary 

 that a considerable portion of the daily ration of the dairy 

 animal should be composed of coarse fodder or roughage, be- 

 cause such materials are easily and cheaply produced upon the 

 farm, and because the digestive tract of the bovine is especially 

 suited to utilize them. Most of these home-grown coarse feeds, 

 however, are very high in carbohydrates and have a relatively 

 low digestibility. It is necessary, therefore, to supplement 

 them to an extent with the cereal grains, which, though rela- 

 tively low in protein, are very digestible; and with the con- 

 centrated by-products, w^hich, in addition to a relatively high 

 digestibility, are quite rich in protein. A single illustration 

 will make this clear. Many experiments have demonstrated 

 that a 1,000-pound cow, producing daily 10 quarts of milk of 

 average quality, needs approximately the following amounts 

 of digestible nutrients : — 



Now% if this animal were fed daily as much of an extra quality 

 of hay as she would consume (28 to 30 pounds), she would 

 receive : — 



