Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1897-11-16
BALANCING TIE aArloNs.

more and more an important matter.
While there is no end Of Information re
specting the kinds and amount Of food
best adapted to secure the end In view,
there is at the same time certain sus-
picion floating about In the minds Of
many farmers, that all such teaching 10
bookish and impractical for practical
farmers; and such official facts are not
accepted without much criticism, and
often with an open sneer. Many man
who claims that he can feed cattle better
than any professor, aud that feeding
bulletins are little, II any, better than
campaign literature, is every day prac-
ticing things which are far more bookish
aud "highfAlutin, and which emsnsted
from the study and experiments Of some
professor. Who among the practical
farmers originated the plan OF treatment
Of grains for the snuts, poisons for the
potato beetle. sprays for the mildews
and diseases OF plantsy What farmer
dsiryna1 found out about the ferments
Of milk and actually put them In har-
meas: What farmer invented n milk test
and put each COW on individual trial for
her life, or studied out the system Of
cold storages And so on down the list.
What Is there to bar the progress In
finding out the composition OF foods and
their functions, that every farmer should
not give his hearty assent to any plan
that will simplify the art Of feeding our
stock Simply this, that IL requires him
TO study his business and learn how to
classify the foods grown upon the farm,
aud such as he will need TO buy, and,
finding out the approximate needs OF the
animal, buy or raise the things needed.
and let alone the substances that he may
possibly have the duplicates Of, and 80
save largely in cost OF maintenance
rations.
Possibly II Is irksome to fx certain
names Of plant and grain composition In
ones head, because OF fancied re
semblance To the classical phrases, but
he has no difficulty In remembering the
catch words aud phrases OF diamond and
race track. Divested Of all 'larnin,"
this matter OF balanced rations IL simply
this: Every COW or growing animal--in
fact, all amin sls-need about four times
as much food for fuel purposes rs for
any other want: that IL, for every ive
pounds Of digestible food consumed an
additional pound Is needed TO make
blood, muscle and vitality, IL that word
expresses what may be termed life
force. While all plants aud foods con-
tain about all Of the essential food ele-
ments, they vary greatly In their pro-
portions. so that a mixture OF our most
important foods Is necessary to get the
balance" These foods are found
everywhere, and wherever found vary
little In their composition 30 that, once
known and clSssed into groups, accord
ing 10 their makeup, and their proper
tions once understood, even II they do
no, have Latin names attached, for sll
practical purposes the result will be the
same.
On most stock farms the variety OF
stock food grown Ia small collection.
The fuel plants and grains OF which we
need the great bulk are the corn plant
and grain, rye, barley, and most OF the
hsy crops. The amount OF fuel the COW
will need daily Is gauged by exactly
wha, she will eat up clean twice or three
times a day. Now, these are the carbo-
hydrste foods, and are almost wholly
made up Of starch, and are used TO make
heat and motion. The other class Of
fools are the protelns, slbuminous, the
white OF egg substance, and for four
pounds OF the frst We want one OF the
latter. or about = Ii 10 l-2 pounds per
day per COW OF digestible protein. This
substance Is wanted for making blood,
muscle, sinew, milk and nerve stimulsnt.
We find in clover hay about half enough;
peas, bran, oil meal, and the like class OF
foods are rich In proteius. In all foods
there IL a certSin amount OF sugar, vine
gar, oil aud the like, sufficient for the
needs OF the animal without additional
portions. Oats really belong with the
corn meal side of the ration, but they do
contain nerve food found In no other
grain, aud are In reality cisssed on the
protein side Of the ration, but needs
fortifying with oil meal TO balance them.
These foods are easily balanced. Know
Ing this, by giving all the hay and corn
fodder that will be eaten up clean twice
or thrice n day, and n grain ration made
up OF some one Of the following mixtures,
we shall have bslsnced the ration, and
no professor need know it: Six pounds
wheat bran and two Of oil meal; ten
NuCAl bc1hoS
three pounds corn meal, four pounds
malt sprouts; three pounds gluten feed,
two pounds corn meal and one pound oil
meal; two pounds cottonseed meal;
three pounds corn chop, and five pounds
wheat bran. Any one OF the above
rations Is to be divided, and half fed
morning and night. In connection with
this matter Is the new oat products,
the refuse from the rolled oats mills, oat
feed, oAt middlings and ost dust all rich
In protein, and best judged BY eight to
ten pounds alone being q good daily
protein feed for q cow. Buckwheat
middlings are now of great value In
place Of bran or oil meal, II you remem-
Der that oil meal Is about twice as rich In
protein ss the bes. bran, and buckwheaf
Is full one-hslf better In protein.
From these few hints 1t is seen that q
balanced ration IL nothing to take fright
at or csll men names over, and their
compounding Is mstter-of-fsct opera,
ton and no more hard to comprehend
than that corn and brown bread, pork
and beans, with coffee, IL as perfect
balanced ration rs can be compounded
for working msn.-John Gould In New
York Tribune.