STOCK FEEDING. 6 



2. Showing variation in the digestibility of different 



feeds. 



Comparing this table with Table 1, we note that the digesti- 

 bility of the protein, for example, in corn stover, clover hay and 

 cotton seed meal is 44 per cent., 55 per cent, and 88 per cent., 

 respectively. These figures suffice to show the need of know- 

 ing, not so much the total nutrients, as the total digestible nutri- 

 ents in feed stuffs. 



SUCCULENCE AND PALATABIUTY. The amount of digestible 

 nutrients does not always measure the feeding value of feed 

 stuffs. Palatability must also be considered. Moreover, ex- 

 perience has amply demonstrated that for best results in milk 

 production, a certain amount of succulent feed must be fed as a 

 part of the ration. Corn silage, which is so highly prized by 

 dairymen, probably owes its high rank as a dairy feed nearly as 

 much to its succulence and palatability as to the nutrients which 

 it contains. 



PROPORTION OF NITROGENOUS TO NON-NITROGENOUS NUTRI- 

 ENTS. In the production of milk only the protein or nitrogen- 

 ous part of the feed can be utilized for the production of the 

 protein or nitrogenous part of the milk. The non-nitrogenous 

 constituents of the milk are largely, if not entirely, produced 

 from the non-nitrogenous constituents of the teed, namely, the 

 carbohydrates and ether extract. 



From this it must be obvious that the best results in feeding 

 can be obtained only from a proper balancing of the nutrients 



