animal on trial. In stating the amount of the digestible portion of 

 the fodder consumed in a feeding experiment, it has proved useful 

 for comparing different fodder rations, etc., to make known by a dis- 

 tinct record the relative proportion which has been noticed to 

 exist, between the amount of its digestible nitrogenous and non- 

 nitrogenous organic constituents. This relation is expressed by 

 the name of "■ Nutritive Ratio." An examination of the subsequent 

 short description of our feeding experiments will show, for instance, 

 that the corn meal fed contained one part of digestible nitrogenous to 

 8.76 parts of digestible non-nitrogenous organic matter, making the 

 customary allowance for the higher physiological value of the fat as 

 compared with that of starch, sugar, etc. (2.5 times higher). The 

 " Nutritive Ratio " of the corn meal is subsequently stated as follows 

 1 :8.76 ; that of wheat bran 1 :3.47 ; of gluten meal 1 :2.67 ; of rye 

 middlings 1 :7.28 ; of English hay 1 :9.5 ; of dry corn fodder 1 :9.3 ; 

 of corn ensilage 1:11.9; of carrots 1:9.24. The results of our 

 own analyses of these fodder articles are here turned to account for 

 the calculation of the above stated " Nutritive Ratios." 



It has been noticed that, as a general rule, growing animals and 

 milch cows require a richer food, i. e. a closer relation of digestible 

 nitrogenous and non-nitrogenous organic constituents in their feed, 

 to do their best^ than full grown animals and moderately worked horses 

 or oxen. G-erman investigators recommend a combination of fod- 

 der articles, in other respects suitable, which contains one part of 

 digestible nitrogenous organic constituents, to 5.4 parts of digestible 

 uor^-nitrogenous constituents. 



From the description of our earlier feeding experiments with milch 

 cows, see IV. Annual Report, page 11, it may be observed, that the 

 relations of the digestible nitrogenous and non-nitrogenous organic 

 constituents in the different combinations of fodder articles which 

 constituted during the various feeding periods the daily diet of the 

 cows, varied on that occasion from 1 :6.7 to 1 :10.17. The closer 

 relation (1 :6.7) was obtained by feeding on an average daily 3 1-4 

 pounds of wheat bran, 15 pounds of hay with forty pounds of Lane's 

 sugar beet, and the wider ratio (1 :10.17) by feeding daily on an 

 average 3 1-4 pounds of corn meal, five pounds of hay and 41 3-4 

 pounds of corn ensilage (see Daisy). During oiu- more recent feed- 

 ing experiments, described below, on the whole closer relations are 

 adopted than before ; the relation between the two above staled 

 important groups of fodder constituents vary from 1 :5.9 to 1 :7.9 ; 



