AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



53 



TABLE XXXVI. 



DIGESTIBLE MATTER REQUIRED TO PRODUCE ONE POUND OF GROWTH. 



•I 



GO S 



Qj 71 



During first three months. . . 

 During second three months 

 During third three months . 

 During fourth three months 

 During fifth three months . . 



Average 



4.06 

 4.26 

 3.83 

 6.45 

 6.97 



5.11 



5.96 

 5.53 

 4.35 



6.87 

 S.08 



6.16 



After two animals were slaughtered at the end of seventeen 

 months, the later results with the other two animals at greater age 

 were not the same. These latter steers were fed ten months longer 

 than the others and during that time the steer eating the ration richer 

 in protein gained 284 pounds and the steer receiving the larger pro- 

 portion of carbohydrate food gained 377 pounds, a difference in 

 favor of the latter of 93 pounds. 



Nothing can be clearer, than that with the particular animals 

 fed, the superiority of the protein-rich ration over the other dimin- 

 ished as the steers increased in age. In seeking for an explanation 

 of this fact we may not go far amiss if we consider that the amount 

 of digestible matter in an animal's food must reach a certain abso- 

 lute quantity before any can be spared for the formation of new 

 tiss.ues. If the nutritive ratio is wide the small ration of the very 

 young animal supplies so little protein that the quantity is inade- 

 quate to meet the demands of the possible active growth of that 

 period of life. When, however, the ration is increased to the capac- 

 ity of the older and larger animal the absolute quantity of protein 

 fed, even in a wide-ratio ration, is sufficient for a generous growth of 

 tissue. It should be remembered that an animal's capacity for 

 growth does not increase proportionately with the age and weight, 

 or so rapidly as does the capacity for food consumption, consequent- 

 ly with an unvarying nutritive ratio the protein supply is likely 

 to be more nearly adequate with the two-year-old steer than with 

 the yearling. It has been the opinon of the writer for some time 

 that the standard rations known as German rations are entirely con- 

 sistent with facts in at least two particulars: 



1st. They call for a diminishing proportion of protein in the ra- 

 tion of growing animals as the animals proceed toward maturity. 



