The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1904-05-17
BY CHARLES WIN. BURKETr,
FEEDING AND MANAGEMENT OF LIVE STOCK.
IV.-Nutritive Ratios.

The ~nutritive ratio is simply the relation that
exists between the "hesh formers" and the cheat
producers" The farmer is concerned with this
in knowing what feeding stuffs to give his animals
from the standpoint of the age of the animal; the
object for which the animal is kept; and from
the difference in the inherent needs of the vari-
Gus classes of live stock. The %nutritive ratio of
clover hay is 1 to 5 40, that is for every pound
of flesh formers there are 5 ITO pounds of heat
and fat producers. Timothy hay on the other
hand has a nutritv We ratio of 1 to u. 1t is readily
seen that clover Gay contains over twice as much
protein or flesh producing materials as does tim
othy hay. For, this reason, since young animals
require a feeding stuff or a feeding ration that is
relatively rich in protein, clover hay will be SUI
perior to timothy hay. This is further seen in
the use of new milk which has a n%utritive ratio of
1 to 21a. There is no food that is more nearly
perfect than new whole milk. The young of all
animals do better on this feeding stuff than on
any other kind. After awhile as the animal grows
older, it will be noticed that it begins to eat corn,
and grass and hay, which is simply the way that
nature has of widening the ration. The young
animal needs a good deal of this heterogeneous food
for the production of new tissue. 1t has new
muscles to build; it has internal organs to en-
large, all of which require protein which comes
only from the food that is eaten. Animals that
are working require food that is of a more nitro
genous character than when they are at rest. This
is h because work breaks down tissue, and it can be
supplied only from the food. Likewise with milk
producing animals. Since one of the important
constituents of the milk is protein and this pro-
tein comes wholly from the food, it follows that
more protein is needed in the feeding ration. AS
the growing animal grows older and approaches
the period of fattening, there is less protein re-
quired than in the earlier stages. We know IN a
practical way that the best finishing food we may
have in the long run In corn. Corn has a nutrl-
tive ratio of / to g.. Take a young calf or a
young pig for instance; they started on a milk
ration which had for every pound of protein two
and one-half pounds of carbohydrates. Now they
have gone ON and grown up until they are at the
ripening period of fattening when they do best
with corn, or for every pound of protein nine
pounds of carbohydrates. During the intermedl-
ate stage, that is between the Indicating time
and the extreme corn-eating time, to make the
most profitable production, there were needed
other feeding stuffs to gradually "widen" the
milk ration and to marrow" the corn ration. For
this reason some clover hay, cowpea hay, cotton
seed meal, or bran or other feeding stutfs was
used, in the first place to widen the ration, and
In the second place to narrow it when corn was
fed exclusively. You see the whole thing is SIM
ply natures process of balancing the feeding
ration to the needs of the body. During the
earlier stages of feeding the aim was to develop
a large amount relatively of flesh rather than
an unduly rapid addition of fat. On the other
hand, toward the close of the f~attening period,
while a large proportion of the fat producing
elements were necessary, there was needed all
the while protein to carry on the regular animal
H. "nn ~ die