THIRTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL CONVENTION 285 



effect on their future production. This does not take into 

 account the initial difference in butter fat between the two lots, 

 which, if added through the entire period, would make the dif- 

 ference in favor of the good ration much greater. 



Difference in Feed Consumed. 



It was very difficult to keep the different feeds in the ration 

 for Lot 2 in the exact proportions previously mentioned, be- 

 cause the cows did not readily consume the timothy hay ; but the 

 balance, or ratio of protein to carbohydrates and fat, was not 

 materially changed. Because of the lack of protein and palat- 

 ability in the ration, the cows in this lot ran down rapidly in 

 flesh and condition, and for these reasons they were not able 

 to make the best use of the feed consumed. 



The total amount of feed consumed by Lot i was 59,840 

 pounds, and that consumed by Lot 2, 52,720 pounds, a difference 

 of 7,120 pounds, which is 13.5 per cent. The percentage of 

 grain was a little greater in the ration for Lot 2, which would 

 tend to give this lot the advantage. The feed eaten by Lot 1 

 contained 21,120 pounds of digestible nutrients, and that con- 

 sumed by Lot 2 contained 18,768 pounds, a difference of 2,352 

 pounds. This shows that Lot 1 consumed 12.5 per cent more 

 digestible nutrients than Lot 2. Since the cows in Lot 2 con- 

 sumed a smaller amount of feed and were practically the same 

 size as those in Lot 1, a larger percentage of the nutrients would 

 be required for maintenance, but they were not maintained, and 

 a part of the milk produced was at the expense of body weight. 



Nutrients Per Unit of Product. 



The cows receiving the balanced ration not only consumed 

 more digestible nutrients but they also made better returns per 

 one hundred pounds of nutrients consumed. The following 

 tables show the relation between the milk and fat produced and 

 the nutrients consumed. 



Tables 3 and 4 show that the nutrients consumed per 100 

 pounds of milk produced varied decidedly between the cows 



