ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. F 211 



The following table shows the percentage of digestible pro- 

 tein in our common foods : 



Concentrates. Roughage. 



Corn meal 7.8% Corn stover 1 .7 7o 



Bran 12.2% Timothy hay 2.87"; 



Oats 9.2%Oat hay 4.3% 



Oil meal 29.0%Straw, oat 2.2% 



Gluten meal 25,8%Re'd clover 6.8% 



Gluten Feed 20.4% Cowpeas 10.8% 



Alfalfa 11.0% 



Soy beans 10.8% 



It will be noted that our common grains grown on the farm 

 are comparatively low in percentage of digestible protein. Those 

 foods which are high in digestible protein are either by-products 

 from the manufacture of other articles or they are the leguminous 

 crops raised on our farms. The capacity of even the dairy cow to 

 digest and assimilate food is limited, and it would require an 

 amount of some foods far too great for the capacity of even our 

 best cows to supply the necessary amount of digestible protein. 

 Let us see the amounts of these foods required to furnish an aver- 

 age amount or 2 pounds protein daily : 



Concentrates. Roughage. 



Corn meal 26.0 lbs. Corn stover 118.0 lbs. 



Bran 16.4 lbs. Timothy hay 71.4 lbs. 



Oats 21.0 lbs. Oat hay 40.0 lbs. 



Oil meal 6.8 lbs. Oat straw 166.6 lbs. 



Gluten meal 8.0 lbs. Red clover hay 29.4 lbs. 



Alfalfa hay 18.0 lbs 



Alfalfa hay 18.0 lbs. 



Cowpea hay 18.5 lbs. 



Soy bean hay 18.5 lbs. 



A glance at the above will show us at once that it is not 

 practical to feed a cow on corn alone. It would be necessary for 

 the ordinary cow to eat 12 pounds of corn meal and 59 pounds of 

 stover. Corn and timothy hay would not be much better. What 

 cow could be induced to eat 12 pounds of corn meal and 35 pounds 

 of timothy hay ? 



Imagine, if you can, a cow getting on the outside of 11 

 pounds of oats or 12 pounds of corn meal and 96 pounds of oats 



