The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1917-06-15
The DAIRY RATION
Feeding Tables Hard to Follow on
Account of Variation of
INGREDIENTS
National Crop improvement servics.l

National Crop improvement Servicsl
For many years feeders have en-
deavored to use so-called standard
tables showing the theoretical num-
Der of pounds each of so-called d.
gestible protein, fats and carbohy-
drates. These methods are fatally
defective for the following reasons:
First, the tables call for so much
digestible food. If there was such q
thing as digestible food it might fur
nish basis to go by, but digestible
food is really apparently digestible
food, in that it disappears in the body.
Just what use is made of it is not al
ways clear. Some of it turns into gas,
some is converted into heat, and much
of it is used in the labor of digesting
and handling the food. In the case
of straw and similar material, nearly
all of its energy is used up in the
labor of digesting it, leaving little or
no net gain. Straw should be re-
turned to the soil. Take two samples
of dried barley grains, each contain
ing the same amount of digestible
food, and one will give twenty more
therms or heat units than the other.
One hundred pounds of digestible
food derived from roughage is about
equal to eighty pounds derived from
grain, so if we add together things
which are unlike, we get no tangible
results. 1t is like adding so many
pounds to so many gallons. So, the
digestible basis of figuring rations is
very inaccurate The correct way is,
first, to ascertain how much protein
and energy cow needs to sustain
life and keep weight. You can get
this from your experiment station,
and ascertain how much is necessary
to make one pound of milk of GER
tain fat test, and then feed her as
much protein and energy as is needed
to maintain her and supply food for
as many pounds of milk as she can
make.
This is a very difficult problem
and few can do it, and we challenge
any two men to tackle the same prob
lem under the same conditions and
arrive at the same result.
We cannot tell unless we try to find
out, that a cow will not give more
milk on more feed, or maybe as much
milk on less feed. So feeding is large
ly experimental, as no two cows are
alike.
However, the law of averages will
hold, and the feeder can save all this
trouble and much loss by feeding a
ration which his experiment station
has in most cases made, say three to
four pounds of milk for each pound
of mixed feed.
There is one thing certain. The
more solids and fat in the milk, the
more feed needed per pound of milk.
So, a good mixed feed which is prop
erly combined and all the roughage
she will eat will greatly simplify your
feeding problem and a very little ex-
perimenting will soon show you how
much concentrates each cow needs to
produce a maximum yield.
Panama Lions.
The lion of the Panama Jungle is Of
two kinds-black and tawny. Full
grown, he stands thirty inches high.
His breast is broad, like that of a bull
dog; his legs are long; his head is
square, but catlike. He growls like q
lion, but ends with a bark. He has
never been known to attack man. but
the natives of the jungle fear him. He
would be a dangerous adversary at
close quarters