36 DAIRY FARMING 



of feed stuffs. Palatability must also be considered. 

 Moreover, experience has amply demonstrated that for 

 best results in milk production, a certain amount of suc- 

 culent 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 

 Nutrients. In the production of milk, only the protein 

 or nitrogenous 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 con- 

 stituents of the feed, 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 fed. Moreover, since the different nutrients 

 are largely to be converted into milk, it is evident also 

 that the quantity which can be advantageously fed must 

 be gauged by the quantity and quality of milk produced. 

 Hence feeders have come to adopt what is known as 

 balanced rations or feeding standards. 



Feeding Standards. These refer to the amount of 

 digestible nutrients required per 1,000 pounds of live 

 weight in twenty-four hours. They recognize that the 

 .nutrients fed must be in proportion to the quantity and 

 quality of milk yielded. This is shown by the Wolff- 

 Lehman standards presented in the following table: 



