The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-01-10
Rational Cattle Feeding---NO. 2.
BY JULES CREvAT.

This section begins with a table,
showing the quantity of good hay re-
quired per kilo of the live weight of a
beast, under various conditions. The
same proportions hold good, of course,
in pounds. They vary greatly as given
by different writers, in different local
tiles and countries; and also for differ
ent breeds]. Following this table, the
author says:
As will be seen by the above table,
the observations of practical men are
far from agreement upon daily ration,
in value of hay, per 100 kilos of live
weight. This is the less surprising,
because each writer adopts different
nutritive equivalents for the conversion
of these forages into hay, in their esti-
mates.
Nevertheless, after collecting a great
number of personal observations, and
discussing those of different observers,
Riedesel, celebrated German breeder,
and Weckerlin, director of the Agricul-
tural Institute at Hohenheim, have be-
lieved themselves able to establish the
following principles and rules, which
apply more particularly to the bovine
species, and to practical forage equiva-
Tents.
1t is necessary to distinguish, in the
total daily ration of an animal, the
mere ration Of support, which will keep
it in good order at the same weight,
without producing anything, and the
supplementary ration Of production,
comprising all the food in excess of
simple support, necessary to obtain
the different animal products, milk,
work, growth, wool, fat, etc.
We have been brought to make this
distinction by the observation of prac-
tical facts, which have demonstrated
that an animal, for its keep alone, re-
quires less food than while giving
products; and that the products OBJ
tanned, while they increase the total ra-
ton, are not proportional to it; since
they appear to increase, generally, in
the same degree with the supplement-
airy ration of production.
Those principles being established,
these are the rules given by Weckher-
lin:
A.-The simple ration of support is
equal to one and sixty-six hundredths
of the live weight. The supplement-
airy ration of production should be the
same. The total ration for good pro-
duction should be 1888 per cent of the
live weight in hay; or an equivalent
in other feed.
boo Kilograms GEO pounds) of
hay in the supplementary ration of
production should produce about 100
litres "a litre is Il pints, nearly,) of milk
daily from cows, as a total yearly aver
age; 10 to II Kilograms (22 to 26 %
pounds) of live weight in young or
unborn calves; % pounds of live
weight in young stock at grass; III
to % pounds of live weight of grown
beasts at grass and in good health, and
of favorable age for average gain; 13 to
10! pounds of live weight for older
beasts at grass, or such as are wearied
by work, or are more nearly fattened.
Thus, for example, a cow in milk,
weighing LOO pounds, will require a
total daily ration of 500X0.0333,-or
16 SO 100 kilo=36 2-5 pounds of hay; of
which the 1S2 pounds of supplement-
airy "ration of production should give
about eight quarts of milk as an aver
age, daily, for the year;-or, otherwise,
9O-pound calf, and about 1000 quarts
of milk.
1t is easy to calculate from the above
data that with well-kept animals, re-
ceiving total complete ration of 1888
per cent, we can obtain, for the equiv
alent of one gross ton of hay consumed,
1887 quarts of milk alone;--or $50 quarts