The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-21
RIVER AT & A. N
..RALANCED RATIoNs..

Time was, and that not so long ago
as to be beyond the memory Of men
inside the half-century mark, when it
was thought on the farms that all that
cattle needed was all they could eat
of such provender as the farm sup
feed-trGugh were well filled at night
all was done that was required to pro-
duce the result desired The boy took
his ideas from his father as he had
thought was given to the constituents
of the food given or to the several OBJ
jects sought in giving it. 1t was the
same whether the purpose was to form
with the uplift of agriculture from the
level of an art to that of a science,
there has come the realization that
animal food possesses constituents in
varying degrees that go to the build
ing up and sustenance of different
parts of the organism and the per-
Torrance of different functions One
kind tends to the laying on of fat,
another to that Of flesh, while others
aid bone growth or milk production.
And so it has come about that one
sees in the farm papers that are con-
Quoted by intelligent men frequent dis
cussiOn of the balanced ration and
formulas for it, Analyses are given
of the various articles of food, so that
the intelligent farmer can direct the
food at his command to the. purpose
desired.
In each formula. whether it be for
the production Of one OF another quail
ity in the animal, the aim Is to so ap
portion the different foods as will pro-
duce the desired end without waste.
avoiding on the one hand a deficiency
and on the other an excess Of carbo-
hydrates, or whatever other element
has leading place. This process in
wolves study and thinking, close OBJ
serVatiOn and reasoning It demands
consideration of all the factors enter
ing into the problem, in order that a
correct conclusion may be reached and
the. greatest possible profit made.
There can be no generalization from
a single fact. or from a few facts, but
only from ALI accessible facts. Every
farmer, informed enough to cornore
bend the balanced ration at all, knows
that failure would be sure to result
frcm conclusions based on insufficient
data
There are comparatively few of the
farm journals that come to our ex-
change table that devote any space
to the political question that is the
leading one in the national campaign.
One of these fills page with editorials
and paragraphs the burden of all of
which is that the low price of farm
produce is due entirely to the gold
standard. On this theme it rings all
the changes its genius can invent. The
conclusion, of course, is that our cur
reney needs feed of freely coined
silver 1t pursues, intellectually, the
discarded methods of feeding of the
farmers OF a generation ago. and of
farmers of today who are not awake
TO the science of their calling. 1t fills
the educational manager with corn,
without ever stopping to think that the
minds it tends need mental protein
as we'll as carbohydrates. 1t ignores
the real end to be attained, the for
nation of correct judgment, just as the
old style farmer ignored the real end
TO be attained In feedig his cattle. 1t
fails to comprehend that a balanced
ration is as essential in mind feeding
as in body feeding.
Were the editors of this particular
journal really seeking to give their
readers the means of reaching sound
conclusions, they would include all the
factors that have tended to reduce the
price of farm produce. No conclusion
can be a sound one that fails to take
into account the enormous effect of
farm machinery, SO greatly reducing
the cost of production. None would
be worth anything that omitted the