PRINCIPLES OF STOCK FEEDING 



73 



for our divisor, we get the following pro- 

 portions: oil meal 1, hay 1.54, bran 1.7, 

 silage 13.3, corn meal 1.03, bran 1.92. 



These figures mean that in making 

 up a ration with these feeds for a dairy 

 cow which shall have a nutritive ratio 

 of 1 :5.7, every time we take 1 pound of 

 oil meal for the mixture, we should take 

 1.54 pounds of hay, 13.3 pounds of 

 silage, 1.03 pounds of corn meal and 

 3.62 pounds of bran (1.7 plus 1.92). 



One day's feed — Supposing now we 

 want to make up enough feed for just 

 one day, how many pounds shall we 

 take of each feed ? By observing the re- 



Fig. 47 — ROOT CUTTER, SHOWING AR- 

 RANGEMENT OF KNIVES 



lation between the figures in the pre- 

 ceding paragraphs we see that if we 

 take the quantities regarding them as 

 pounds just as they stand, they would 

 not make enough feed. If we take three 

 times the quantity, we would have a 

 slight excess of silage. Suppose we 

 take 2V 2 times the quantity, this will 

 give us 3.9 pounds hay, 33.25 pounds 

 silage, 9 pounds bran, 2.5 pounds lin- 

 seed meal and 2.7 pounds corn meal. 



This ration differs somewhat from the 

 ration worked out by guess work in that 

 less hay, more bran and less linseed meal 

 is taken, while the nutritive ratio is 

 closer to that required by the standard 



We have given these two methods for 

 calculating rations in considerable de- 

 tail and the feeder can take his choice 

 between them. The first method may 

 keep the inexperienced guessing a long 



time before he strikes the combination 

 that will give him the desired quantities 

 and the required nutritive ratio. The 

 latter method may be slightly compli- 

 cated, but a half hour's study will master 

 it, and it will give absolutely accurate 

 results, with a comparatively small 

 amount of work. By use of the conven- 

 ience table, page 83, the work of calcu- 

 lating ratios by either method can be 

 greatly lessened. 



Balancing rations — A few general re- 

 marks will apply to balancing rations 

 by either method. If in the above ration 

 the feeder had for feeding nothing but 

 hay from mixed grasses, silage and corn 

 meal, it would have been impossible to 

 have compounded a ration with a nutri- 

 tive ratio of 1 :5.7 either by the guess 

 method or any other method because 

 the nutritive ratio of hay is 1:11, 

 that of silage 1:13.7, and that of corn 

 meal 1:11.7 — all more than 1:5.7. 

 Some feed with a nutritive ratio nar- 

 rower than 1 :5.7, like bran with a 

 nutritive ratio of 1:4, or oil meal 

 with a nutritive ratio of 1:1.5, must 

 be used for balancing up the feeds 

 with such wide nutritive ratios. This 

 is why even the best dairy farmers 

 nearly always have to buy some con- 

 centrated feed in addition to what they 

 raise on their farms, in order to make 

 satisfactory balanced rations for their 

 cows giving a heavy flow of milk. The 

 feeds richest in protein and easily di- 

 gestible are nearly all mill by-products. 



Fig. 48 KNIFE FOR CUTTING BEANS OR PEAS 



When mature animals are being fat- 

 tened for market or stock is being kept 

 over winter without work, the farm will 

 furnish all the feed that is required of 

 an entirely suitable character, and none 

 need be bought from outside sources. 



The feeder's guide— Supposing the 

 standard required in a given case called 



