ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 323 



in this ration, the ratio is as 1:8.7; which is known as the nutri- 

 tive ratio of this ration. 



After adding one pound each of corn meal, ground oats, and 

 linseed meal, we have ration D, which contains 2.04 pounds pro- 

 tein, 13.41 pounds carbohydrates, and .92 of a pound fat. The 

 nutritive ratio of this ration, found in the same manner as be- 

 fore, is as 1 :7.6 ; which is nearer the ratio of the digestible nutri- 

 ents required for a 1000 pound cow giving 30 pounds of 4 per 

 cent milk, as given in Table 1. 



Balanced Ration. 



If the protein and the carbohydrates are in such proportion 

 as will best suit the needs of the animal the ration is said to be 

 balanced. If the amount of protein in the ration is small in pro- 

 portion to the carbohydrates the ration is called wide; if the 

 amount of protein is large in proportion to the carbohydrates, 

 the ration is called narrow. 



Since the needs of different animals vary greatly, it will be 

 seen that a ration which is balanced for one animal or class of 

 animals may be decidedly too wide or too narrow to be econom- 

 ical for another class. Young and growing animals and cows 

 producing a large flow of milk require a much larger proportion 

 of protein, or in other words a narrow ration, than animals after 

 they have completed their growth, or cows when given a smaller 

 flow of milk, or entirely dry. The difference in the amount of 

 protein required by cows giving large and small flows of milk 

 may be seen by referring to Table 1. 



In feeding dairy cows several things must be considered 

 besides the amount of digestible nutrients contained in the feed. 

 The ration must be palatable and of such a nature that a cow can 

 eat a sufficient quantity to supply her needs. 



There is enough nutriement contained in 300 pounds of 

 oat straw for a cow giving 60 pounds of 4per cent milk, but it 

 would be absurd to expect a cow to produce such a yield on oat 

 straw alone, as her capacity could not handle more than one 

 tenth this bulk in one clay. The concentrates, too, must be in the 



