furnishes a full ration, with the parts well proportioned for milk 

 production while No. i is lacking in albuminoids by more than 

 one pound but has an excess of non-albuminoids, the nutritive 

 ratio of No. i is i : 11.4 while No. 2 is i :5.5. It is evident 

 that the second ration is much better adapted for milk produc- 

 tion than the first and would undoubtedly giv^e a better yield. 



I would call the attention of our stock feeders, to the one 

 point oi feeding well proportioned or ^'■balanced'" rations, and in 

 this connection, would suggest that the " feeding standards " and 

 table of " Feeding stuffs " are guides which if followed will give 

 this suitable proportion of parts in the rations we feed our stock, 

 now if any one is already feeding such a ration the satisfaction 

 of knowing this will amply repay the little trouble there is in cal- 

 culating the exact amount of nutritive matter fed ; if, on the other 

 hand (.he present practice does not, within reasonable limits, cor- 

 respond with the German standards, then no harm can come from 

 modifying the grain or fodder and noting whether there is actual- 

 ly any increase of product or decrease of cost for it is by this 

 measure of dollars and cents that we must finally prove that one 

 ration is better than another. 



I have intimated that some variation from the German 

 standard is even desirable in our practice and I am of the opin- 

 ion that if we get the ''nutritive ratio" anywhere between 6 

 and 7 we shall still have a well balanced ration. 



PART II. 



CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF MATERIALS .USED IN FEEDING EXPERI- 

 MENTS, WINTER OF 1888-89. 



These analyses were made by Mr. F. W. Morse, now Sta" 

 tion Chemist. The grains were bought in local markets and the 

 hay was raised on the Station farm. 



The analyses show the per cent of water, dry substance, ash, 

 crude protein, nitrogen free-extract, (including starch, sugar etc.,) 

 ether extract, or crude fat, and crude fiber; the column showing 

 this is headed " % in original substance." The next column 

 shows the same computed as per cents of the dry substance in- 

 stead of the original substance next comes per cent of digestible 

 matter in the original substance, this is dervied from the total 

 composition by taking the average digestibility of similiar foods 

 as given by Goessman and others.* This column shows just how 



♦Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station, Annual Report 1887. 



9 



