70 



FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



If, then, mixed hay consists of 84.7 per 

 cent of dry matter as shown in the previ- 

 ous table and only 57.1 per cent of this 

 is digestible, then 84.7 x 57.1, or 48.36 

 per cent is the amount that is actually 

 digested by the animal; that is, out of 

 every 100 pounds of dry matter in mixed 

 hay 48.36 pounds are digestible. 



The digestible nutrients in a feeding 

 stuff, then, are determined by multiply- 

 ing the percentages of crude nutrients 



TOTAL DRY MATTER DIGESTIBLE NUTRIENTS IN 100 LBS 



by their respective digestion coefficients. 

 The product shows the pounds of digest- 

 ible nutriments in 100 pounds. 



By this method of computation the 

 figures showing the total dry matter and 

 the digestible nutrients in 100 pounds 

 of all the feeding stuffs in the following 

 table were found. The figures for fibre 

 and nitrogen-fibre extract are combined, 

 since they have like feeding value, under 

 the single heading of carbohydrates. 



Dry matter 

 lbs 



Mixed hay 84.7 



Corn silage 25.6 



Corn meal 85.0 



Bran 89.3 



Linseed meal yx - x 



This method of ascertaining the di- 

 gestible nutrients in any feeding stuff 

 or ration is long and laborious. Tables 

 have been constructed which show at 

 once the amount of digestible nutrients 

 in 100 pounds of a large number of 

 American feeding stuffs and one of these 

 convenience tables are given on page 83. 

 By the use of this table the work of cal- 

 culating rations will be very much 

 shortened. 



As a trial ration for a cow giving 20 

 pound of milk, let us select 8 pounds 

 of hay, 25 pounds of corn silage, 3 

 pounds of corn meal, 2 pounds of bran, 

 and 2 pounds of linseed meal and see 

 how it compares with the requirements 

 of the standard. 



Using the table given above, we note 

 first that 100 pounds of mixed hay con- 

 tains 84.7 pounds of dry matter. One 

 pound of hay, therefore, will contain 

 1-100 of 84.7 pounds or 0.847 pound. 

 Eight pounds, then, will contain 8 times 

 0.S4T pound or 6.78 pounds of dry mat- 

 ter. Similarly if 100 pounds of hay 

 contain 4.3 pounds of protein, one pound 

 will contain 1-100 of 4.3 pounds or .043 

 pound and S pounds will contain 8 

 times .043 or .34 pound. In this way 



HAND CORN SIIELLER 



the figures in the table given below were 

 obtained. 



When we compare the total amounts 

 of nutrients furnished bv this ration 



DIGESTIBLE NUTRIENTS 



Dry matter 

 lbs 



8 lbs mixed hay 6.78 



25 " silage 6.40 



3 " corn meal 2.55 



2 " bran 1.78 



2 " linseed meal 1.S2 



19.33 

 Ration required by standard 29.00 



