ADJUSTING THE RATION 235 



If then a cow weighs 1200 pounds, she would not be given 

 24 pounds of hay, but 12 pounds of hay and 36 pounds (3 X 12) 

 of silage. When either silage or hay is abundant it may be fed in 

 quantity proportionally greater and the other proportionally less 

 than that mentioned. This is only a helpful rule, not a law. 



The amount of grain a cow should receive will depend 

 largely on the amount and quality of the milk produced. [Most 

 commonly one pound grain for every three pounds of milk will 

 suffice, but this must be increased to one to two and a half or even 

 one to two where the cow is yielding either a large flow of 

 ordinary milk or a moderate amount of very rich milk. While 

 if a cow is yielding only thirty pounds of 3.6 per cent milk, 

 a grain and milk ratio of one to three -would be ample. As 

 much as one to two and a quarter would be desirable if sixty 

 pounds of 3.6 per cent milk or thirty pounds of 5.5 per cent 

 milk were being produced. 



The digestible nutrients required in the production of milk 

 and the maintenance of the cow's body are all found in the 

 various feeding stuffs, but in no two of them are the propor- 

 tions of these ingredients the same and in few, if in any, is the 

 proportion the same as that needed by the cow for either main- 

 tenance or for milk formation. To emphasize this point and 

 to present the matter in the form most usable, Minnesota Bul- 

 letin 130 is quoted as Appendix Table III. 



The adjustment of the amount of the three nutrients fed to 

 the needs of the cow so that she shall be fully nourished and yet 

 to prevent the waste of any appreciable amount of any one of 

 the nutrients is called " balancing the ration." The truly 

 balanced ration is the most economical ration so far as the 

 amount of feed is concerned and usually also is the economical 

 ration in respect to cost. 



Example: Let us suppose a cow weighs 1150 pounds, and is 

 giving daily 26 pounds of milk testing 4.2 per cent fat, what is 

 the amount of nutrients required ? 



By reference to Table III we see that a cow weighing 1150 

 pounds requires 0.805 pound protein, 8.05 pounds carbohydrates 

 and 0.11 pound fat daily for mere bodily upkeep. By turning 



