



STANDARD RATIONS FOR DAIRY COWS. IT9 
The actual cost of the rations in the two groups is not known, 
but in eleven other instances when close comparisons were 
made between the use of rations containing larger quantities 
and proportions of protein and those containing smaller quanti- 
ties and proportions,* the results in general were in favor of 
the larger quantities of protein. It is evident that in the case 
of these two groups of rations the average of those containing 
over two pounds of digestible protein would be nearer a model 
than the average of those with the smaller amounts of protein 
or than the average of all, yet we should hardly feel warranted 
in setting up any one of these as a ‘‘standard’’ or formula to 
be recommended for general use. 
FITTING FEEDING FORMULAS TO MILK FLOW. 
In what has just been said we do not by any means wish to 
imply that formulas for feeding are not valuable. On the 
other hand we maintain, as this Station has constantly done, 
that such formulas are highly useful as general indications for 
the practical feeder to follow. Furthermore, we believe that 
it is wise to make continual use of the results of experience 
and experiment in the changing and improving of such 
formulas. 
It has been quite customary to base standards and formulas 
for the feeding of milch cows mainly upon the live weight of 
the animal and an average condition of productiveness. In the 
last Annual Report of this Stationt experiments were cited and 
a tentative ration, previously suggested, was repeated. The 
following statement was also made: 
‘‘ The experience of the Station for the last two years would, however, indi- 
cate that in general it is more profitable to feed a cow ‘in the flush’ rather more 
protein than the suggested ration calls for. The very decided trend of these 
experiments is toward nitrogenous feeding for milk production.” 
It seems to the writers that the time has come for applying 
this principle. This has indeed been done by proposing rations 
which furnish more protein and have narrower nutritive ratios 
in proportion as the cows give larger milk yields, and which 
reduce the amounrit of protein as the milk yield decreases. 
Such rations are based upon the fact that the most important 
use of protein in feeding dairy cows is in the formation of milk. 
In the Report of the Station for 1896 a number of so-called 
* See table 10, p. 63. + Report for 1896, p. 84. 

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