78 N. C. AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



drates such as sugars and starches, which are used in keeping the body 

 warm and forming fat; and those known as fats or oils which are used 

 in keeping the body warm and for forming fat. These three protein, 

 carbohydrate and fat are known as digestible nutrients. Other com- 

 pounds are also stored in the plant such as water, which is usually 

 found in large quantity in growing plants and mineral matter, found 

 in small amounts and very important in the development of the bony 

 framework of the animal. 



In feeding animals it must first be considered that they require a 

 certain amount of nutrition for maintaining their body. And if we 

 are going to expect extra work from them we must supply enough extra 

 nutrition to meet the demands upon the animal. For example, a dairy 

 cow weighing 1,000 pounds must have .7 pound protein, 8. pounds car- 

 bohydrates and .1 pound fat to maintain herself without gain or loss 

 when she is not milking and is at rest. When producing an average 

 of 22 pounds of milk per day she must receive 2.5 pounds protein, 13 

 pounds carbohydrates and 0.5 pound fat, according to the German 

 standard. The experience of the dairymen of the United States has 

 demonstrated that dairy cows can produce satisfactory results when re- 

 ceiving less protein and slightly more carbohydrates than the figures 

 mentioned, thereby lessening the cost of the ration somewhat, as car- 

 bohydrate foods are usually cheaper than those high in protein. The 

 grains or the foods known as concentrates which carry a high per cent 

 of protein and which can be used satisfactorily in feeding dairy cattle 

 are cottonseed meal, distillery grains, brewers' grains, linseed meal, 

 cowpeas, soy beans, gluten meal, gluten feed, malt sprouts, buckwheat 

 shorts, buckwheat middlings, peanut meal and wheat bran. Those 

 which carry a high per cent of carbohydrates and which can be used 

 in feeding dairy stock satisfactorily are corn, wheat and wheat middlings, 

 rye, barley, rice, sorghum seed and Kaffir corn. These feeds are com- 

 monly used alone for fattening cattle, but may be used in connection 

 with the protein feeds for dairy stock. Among the coarse feeds rich in 

 protein are the legumes, as the clovers, peas, beans and alfalfa which 

 carry a high per cent of digestible protein, so are exceptionally valuable 

 in feeding dairy cattle ; as by their use we can avoid feeding so much 

 high priced concentrated feed. The coarse feeds that carry a consider- 

 able percentage of carbohydrates and fat are corn fodder, corn stover and 

 corn silage and practically all of the true grasses as timothy, orchard 

 grass, oats, wheat, barley and rye. 



To formulate a satisfactory dairy ration, a number of factors must 

 be considered such as size of the cow, period of lactation and condition 

 and ability to produce. Some important considerations to bear in 

 mind in selecting feeds are variety, palatability and digestibility. A 

 safe rule to follow is to always supply as much coarse feed in the form 

 of silage and hay as the cows will clean up and then supply as much 

 grain extra as is required to balance the ration and secure the desired re- 

 sults in production. An average size dairy cow will consume about 35 

 pounds of corn silage per day, and if this amount is fed she will eat from 

 ten to twelve pounds of good hay in addition. With this as a basis in 



