10 



1. A hiyher degree of adaptation with reference to particular 

 kind and oigauization of the animal under consideration ; its age and 

 functions, etc. 



2. The chemical composition and the general physical conditions, 

 depending on stage of growth, mechanical preparation, etc. of the 

 fodder ingredients to be used. 



3. Whether the article constitutes the sole diet or serves as a 

 more or less prominent part of the daily diet. The feeding effect of 

 most fodder articles is more or less modified by, and thus in a control- 

 ling degree depending on, the character of the associated ingre- 

 dients in the daily diet. 



These few remarks suffice to show that the comparative feeding 

 value of one and the same fodder article, even when of a stable 

 composition, cannot be fully expressed by one numerical value. The 

 practice of stating the comparative feeding value of current fodder ar- 

 ticles with reference to that of good English hay equal to 1 00, has been 

 for years abandoned as devoid of any substantial support. There is 

 no single fodder article on record which furnishes the best diet, i. e., 

 the cheapest and at the same time most nutritive food, for even the 

 same class of animals, under different circumstances. Both, 7iet cost 

 of feed and its relative nutritive or feeding effect under existing circum- 

 stances, have to be consulted, when aiming at an economical diet for 

 farm live stock. Actual feeding experiments under well defined 

 circumstances alone can give us the desired information. 



Although much needs, still to be done in this direction to recognize 

 in many instances more clearly the principles, vs^hich underlie a 

 successful practice, it must be admitted that some valuable facts have 

 been already established in regard to a rational and thus economical 

 system of stock feeding, by European investigators and others, 

 which can serve advantageously as guides in compoundirg economical 

 fodder combinations for all kinds of farm live stock. The economy 

 of milk production, in particular, has received much attention. 

 European investigators recommend in this connection quite generally 

 a daily diet, rich in digestible nitrogenous constituents, as beneficial 

 to the general condition of cows, at the same time reducing the net cost 

 of the feed consumed and furnishing valuable home-ynade manure at 

 the lowest market cost. The European standard for a daily diet of 

 milch cows calls for one part of digestible nitrogenous fodder 

 constituents to five and four-tenths parts of digestible non-nitrogen- 

 ous food constituents. Our results on the whole point in the same 



