SOME SCIENTIFIC TERMS IN FEEDING 5d 
and the digestible non-protein organic constituents. This 
relation is most conveniently termed the nutritive ratio of 
the food. Simply defined, this term means the ratio which 
exists between the amount of digestible protein to the 
combined digestible carbohydrates and fat. 
The nutritive ratio as a feed is obtained as follows: The fat is 
reduced to its carbohydrate equivalent and added to the digestible 
carbohydrates. The sum of the two, representing the non-protein, 
is then divided by the figure or figures representing the quantity of 
protein. The resulting figure is the second factor, which means 
that for each pound of digestible protein in the feed or ration there 
are so many pounds of digestible non-protein or carbohydrates. 
3. Reducing fat to carbohydrates—-The non-protein 
constituents of a feed—starch, fiber, fats, etc.—are used to 
develop heat, energy and fat in 
the animal body. Their effi- Ae 
. . . lib | — . Ss 
ciency for this purpose has been Oe es ee 
. rt of Carbohydrates 
ascertained by numerous ex- 
‘ : i A pound of fat equals 2.3 
periments, which show that a pounds of carbohydrates when 
: burned in the body. 
pound of fat will develop as 
much heat energy as 2.3 pounds of starch. Hence this 
more concentrated energy must be taken in consideration 
in combining the carbohydrates and fat as a single unit 
group if a definite, accurate value is to be obtained with 
reference to any feeding stuff. In all calculations from 
now on this higher efficiency of fat will be given its 
proper weight. 
4. Determining the nutritive ratio—In a previous 
table the digestible nutrients in 100 pounds of corn were 
shown to be as follows: Protein 7.8 pounds, carbohy- 
drates 66.8 pounds and fat 4.3 pounds. The fat, first is 
reduced to its carbohydrate equivalent by multiplying the 
“number of pounds representing it by the authoritatively 
taken factor 2.3; which being done, shows that 4.3 pounds 
of fat equal 9.9 pounds of the carbohydrates in producing 
