324 ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



proper form to be best utilized by the cow. To get the most out of 

 grains they should be ground, for the mastication is seldom, if 

 ever, complete enough to break all the kernels, and those passing 

 through the digestive tract unbroken are of no use to the animal 

 and are, therefore, wasted. This difficulty may be partially ob- 

 viated by mixing the grain and coarse fodder together. By feed- 

 ing oats in the sheaf, or in the form of hay, or by mixing chopped 

 hay with grain it will be much more thoroughly masticated, as 

 grain eaten with roughage passes to the rumen and is remasd- 

 cated in chewing the cud. 



Ration E. 

 Roughage Not Palatable and Concentrates Too Heavy. 



Digestible Nutrients. 

 Carbohy- 



Protein, drates, Fat, 



Protein, drates, Fat, 

 Lb. lb. lb. lb. 



Corn stover 10 .17 3.24 .07 



Oat straw 7 .08 2.70 .06 



Corn meal 8 .62 5.34 .34 



Linseed meal, N. P 4 1.13 1.60 .11 



Total nutrients in ration 2.00 12.88 .58 



Nutrients required for a 1,000-Ib. cow giv- 

 ing 30 lb. 4% milk 2.10 13.48 .58 



Nutritive ratio of ration E, 1:7.1. 



It will be seen that this ration is correct so far as the chem- 

 ical composition is concerned, but that the roughage is lacking 

 in palatability so that a cow will not relish it, and the concen- 

 trates, while highly nutritious, are what dairymen call too heavy. 

 Oil meal is so highly concentrated that it should not be fed in 

 large quantities. This ration should be lightened by adding some 

 light bulky concentrate, as bran or ground oats, and made more 

 palatable by substituting oat hay for oat straw. After making 

 these slight changes we have Ration F, which is lighter and more 

 palatable, yet contains practically the same amounts of the dif- 

 ferent digestible nutrients. 



