MAKING A BAI,ANCED RATION 67 



Alfalfa hay . . 

 Gluten-meal . . 

 Linseed-oil meal 

 Cottonseed-meal 

 Soy-bean . . . 



Protein. Carbohydrates. Fat. 



10.6 37.3 1.4 



31- I 43-9 4-8 



28.8 32.8 7.1 



37.0 16.5 12.6 



39.6 22.3 14.4 



' ' Making a balanced ration is combining the feeds 

 deficient in protein with those having an excess of it, 

 to make a ration which will contain the right propor- 

 tions for the animal fed. 



' ' A balanced ration will produce much better re- 

 sults than the ordinary ration, which is too high in 

 carbohydrates. A cow gave five pounds of butter per 

 week on an ordinary ration, and twelve to fourteen 

 pounds on a balanced ration. Two pounds per day 

 is a good gain for steers on the usual fattening ration. 

 Increasing the protein by substituting four pounds of 

 linseed-oil meal for an equal quantity of corn in the 

 regular ration, a feeder made three to four pounds 

 gain per steer per day. Fattening pigs made a gain 

 of nine and one-half pounds per bushel of Kafir-corn 

 eaten. When one-fifth of the Kafir-corn was taken 

 out and soy-bean meal substituted for it, increasing 

 the protein, a gain of thirteen pounds was made for 

 each bushel of grain eaten." 



By referring to the following tables the ration may 

 be computed for any class of animals. The feeding 

 standards are the result of careful investigation, and 

 show the proportions in which the different feed prin- 

 ciples should be fed for the best results. The digest- 

 ible nutrients of a number of the common feeds given 

 in the table on page 68 makes the computation easy, 

 and by studying them the feeder can easily seledt the 

 feeds best adapted to his particular use: 



