82 FARM ANIMALS 
Obviously, each cow has a certain limit as to storage and diges- 
tion capacity for bulky feeds. In the preceding ration about all of 
the corn stover, silage and clover hay that the average cow can 
handle was used. Her limit, therefore, was reached as far as the 
roughage foods are concerned. 
11. Rounding out with grain feeds.—Since the ration 
already contains just about all that a cow of this size can 
eat, we will prepare a place in the ration by withdrawing 
three pounds of the clover hay. We will increase the 
cottonseed meal to four pounds and add 2% pounds of 
gluten feed. This done, we have the following: 
Digestible nutrients 
‘ Dry 
Feeding stuffs matter | p-otein Carbo- a 
hydrates 
10 lbs. corn stover_-------- 5.95 14 3.24 07 
30 Ibs. corn silage-..------ 6.27 27 3.78 .18 
12 Ibs. clover hay---------- 10.12 .85 4.54 21 
4 lbs. cottonseed meal___-- 3.76 1.50 .84 36 
21% lbs. gluten feed_-__--_ 2.25 53 1.30 .06 
R@tals-i- seid oe 28.35 2.29 13.70 88 
Standard: ~-...-.-.ssess22- 32.00 ao0 13.00 .80 
This ration agrees closely with the standard and is assumed to 
satisfy all the requirements for a cow yielding 27.5 pounds of milk 
daily and weighing 1,000 pounds. 
12. Using the standard in practical work.—Many peo- 
ple take feeding standards and balanced rations far too 
seriously. They fail to understand that it is in the spirit 
and not in their literal use that these feeding aids are to 
be adopted. The balanced ration, at best, can be made 
to approach only approximately the food requirements 
for any animal or set of animals. 
The composition of a feeding stuff is always open to considerable 
variation, and what adds still to the uncertainty is the fact that foods 
