FORTY-FIRST ANNUAL CONVENTION 117 



"one in which the protein and carbohydrates are in such propor- 

 tion as will best suit the needs of the animal." In order to feed 

 intelligently and economically it is essential that the farmer 

 knows something about the constituents of the different kindri 

 of feeds and the proportion in which these amounts must be 

 used in order to have a balanced ration. It must now be re- 

 membered that we are speaking of dairy cows exclusively and 

 that a balanced ration for a dairy cow is in no sense a balanced 

 ration for any other animal — as a beef steer or a growing calf. 

 In fact a balanced ration is not to be regarded as fixed in any 

 case. It is simply an approximate standard which must be varied 

 to suit the individuality of the animal according to the best 

 judgment of the feeder. 



Nutrients. 



The nutrients, or food parts, found in all feeding stuffs in 

 the bodies of animals and in milk may be classed as follows : 



Water. 



Mineral substances (found in all plants.) 

 Protein (compounds of nitrogen) Carbohydrates (starches, 

 Sugars, etc.) 



Fats (oils, etc.) 



The first of these tw^o required nutrients, viz., water and 

 minerals, while very necessary to good feeding, can usually be 

 supplied without much trouble. An animal fed with the right 

 proportion of the other nutrients will generally receive sufficient 

 mineral matter, since it is found in all feeding stuffs. Pure 

 water should, of course, be supplied in abundance. 



Protein. 



Protein is the name given to those constituents of feeds 

 which contain nitrogen. Good examples of protein are gluten in 

 wheat, the white of egg, the lean part of beef and the casein of 

 milk. The principal feeds which contain large amounts of pro- 



