Feeding Standards — Calculating Rations. 



113 



This trial ration falls considerably below the standard, especially 

 in crude protein, and to correct this 3 lbs. of nitrogenous oil meal is 

 added. 



Second trial ration for a 1000-lh. cow yielding 22 lbs. of milk daily. 



The second trial ration falls below the standard in dry matter, 

 which is unimportant. All the nutrients are in slight excess, and 

 the nutritive ratio, 1 : 5.9, is close to the standard, 1 : 5.7. We thus 

 learn that a satisfactory ration for a dairy cow weighing 1000 lbs, 

 yielding 22 lbs. of milk daily may be composed of 8 lbs. red clover 

 hay, 10 lbs. corn stover, 5 lbs. each of corn and bran, and 3 lbs. each 

 of oats and oil meal. 



136. Hints and helps.— In formulating rations for ruminants it is 

 well to start with such an amount of 2 kinds of roughage as will 

 furnish from 16 to 20 lbs. of dry matter and about 10 lbs. of diges- 

 tible carbohydrates, together with such an amount of some concen- 

 trate as will, on rough calculation, bring the total crude protein 

 somewhat under the standard. When the nutrients of these 3 feeds 

 have been placed in tabular form, a little study will show the quan- 

 tity and kind of concentrates still needed to bring the ration to the 

 standard. 



It is practically impossible, as well as useless, to attempt to for- 

 mulate rations that will exactly agree with the standard in all nutri- 

 ents. It is usually better to allow the ration to fall somewhat be- 

 low the standard in dry matter than to use an excess of low-grade 

 roughage with its large content of inert matter. There is usually 

 an excess of fat over the standard, which cannot well be avoided. 

 When the fat is much in excess, the carbohydrates may fall some- 

 what below the standard as an offset. 



