298 FEEDING ANIMALS. 



We have given this latter ration to show how far it 

 comes short of the German standard for fattening cattle. 

 It is given as if the whole corn were as digestible as meal ; 

 and even then, it only shows about half of the albumin- 

 oids of the standard. The 20 Ibs. of corn can hardly be 

 estimated as affording more digestible nutriment to cattle 

 than 12 Ibs. of meal, as much of it passes the cattle whole ; 

 and if we estimate the real digestibility as only equal to 12 

 Ibs. of corn-meal, then the albuminoids will only amount 

 to 1.16 Ibs., instead of 2.70 Ibs. It is very evident that 

 any ration, composed of corn in the shock or corn standing 

 on the hill, must be much below the German standard in 

 albuminoids. And when we consider the fact, that mill- 

 ions of cattle are thus fed every year in the West, and that 

 these cattle are among the best in the market, we must 

 conclude that the German standard is only approximate, 

 and determined from too small a range of experiments to 

 be implicitly relied upon. In fact, until the full statement 

 of the German experiments is published in this country, 

 we cannot judge of the evidence to sustain their feeding 

 standards. 



There can be no doubt, however, that this standard 

 corresponds pretty closely with the practice of the best 

 English feeders, and with American feeders in the Middle 

 and Eastern States, where oats, oil-cake, bran, peas and 

 clover are fed to some extent with Indian corn. But it 

 requires careful experiments, on a large scale, carried on 

 for years, to settle practically the permissible limits of the 

 feeding standard for animals of different ages intended for 

 meat. And this is just the work to be undertaken and 

 carefully worked out by our agricultural colleges on their 

 experimental farms. Here should be all the facilities for 

 the most accurate determination of these questions ; and, 

 as its determination is of the greatest practical importance 

 in the profitable feeding of all our farm animals, there 



