Show L T > I T AI ThE FARMERS INSffllE14 HELD AT PROVO UTAH COUNTY m A Large and Enthusiastic Gathering of Prominent Agriculturalists r Papers of Vital Interest to Poultryman Stock Breeder Fruit Grower Dairyman and Farmer The Utah State Farmers Institute wa held in the Provo tabernacle beginning be-ginning Feb 23 and ending Feb 27 1897 under the direction and auspices ot the faculty of the Agricultural college col-lege of ITtah Director Luther Foster chairman Three sessions were held each day and the interest was kept up to the end First Day I At the morning session of the first day Mayor L Holbrook delivered the address of welcome which was responded re-sponded to by Mr W N Cole of Salt Lake Director Foster was the first on the programme giving an interesting talk on The Conservation of Soil Moisture In Dry Farming which was followed by a timely discussion of the ideas presented AFTERNOON SESSION Intelligently The SugarBeet Culture was Hsrentlv treated by Mr James Boy denProfessor Professor Foster gave an interesting talk on The Economical Feeding of Live Stock Both addresses were followed fol-lowed by lengthy and intelligent discussions dis-cussions ECONOMIC FEEDING OF LIVE STOCK Prof Foster said that the economical feeding of live stock means to feed to the best advantage not necessarily at the lest cost Uhe question depends upon where whn and to what kind of animal the feeding is to be done on the kind age and purpose designed for the animal and largely on the relative cost of different differ-ent feeds as wtll as their composition digestibility and palatabillty The wise feeder will take all these matters into consideration but this afternoon I will give attention more particularly to the principles underlying the proper computn ton and balancIng of rations the general composition of the animal body as compared com-pared with feeding stuffs The numerous substances of which I animal bodies are composed may for the I convenience of comparison with foods i be grouped Into four divisions 1st Water which amounts to from 40 to 60 i per cent of the weight of the live animal id Ash or mineral matters constituting constitut-ing from 2 to 5 per cent of the weight of i the whole body while their presence Is I most evident In the bones they exist in small amount In all parts of the body 3nl Protein This group is the most valuable A due supply of It is indispensable indis-pensable WhIte of an egg and lean meat may be taken as good types of protein Nitrogen sems to be the chatacteristie element of this group since it Is rot found In the other three In nddUon to the lean meat all the working machinery of the body Is very largely composed of It 4th Fat Its proportion in the body seldom rises bon SO per cent or rails below o per cent The various feedings stuffs that build up and maintain the animal must contain these same four groups of ingredients in-gredients found in the bony namely water ash protein and fat In addition to these there is a fifth group of feeding stuffs not found in the body called carbohydrates car-bohydrates Good examples of this class are starch sugar and woody fiber It Is plain that the valu of any feeding stuff will depe C not only upon the total amount of ths various Ingredients which it contains but als upon the percent per-cent of them which the animal Is able to digest and assimilate Both these facts have been determined for most foods The actual feeding value of any forage depends upon the portion of its conten that Is digestible Under ordinary circumstances circum-stances the supply of ash or mineral matter mat-ter in feeding stuffs Is ample for all the wants of the animal and we need not be es > xiallr concerned about It Where young animals pigs for example are fed mainly on a grain ration It Is best to give them 3 good supply of wood ashes gve strong bone growth Protein gives material ma-terial for the growth of tissue This growth may be in actual Increase of bulk or it may simply replace the waste or It may b < > the growth of wool or hair or the production of milk For all these purposes protein Is Indispensable The other groups fat and carbohydrates are eo much alike that they may be considered consid-ered together They serve three purposes pur-poses 1st They are burned up to supply the heat to keep the animal warm 2nd They produce the force exerted In the motions mo-tions of the animal 3rd The exces of what is needed for heat or fore goes to the production and laying up of fat The relative amounts of protein and carbohydrates and fat In a ration is a Important matter The ratio o the digestible di-gestible protein to the digestible fat and carbohydrates Is called the nutritive ratio In straw the ratio is very wide in mik peas and oil cake it is narrow That Is a feeding stuff that contains a large amount of carbohydrates and fat and little protein Is wide and vise era The amount of protein should vary according ac-cording to the object for which we feed I we are feeding for growth or milk production pro-duction more protein is needed than would be required for work or fattening while In thE latter barely enough is wanted to keep the animal tissue in repair The feeder should know not only what nutritive ratio Is best for different purposes pur-poses but how much food should be given I may be stated that there is no best ratio for fattening or milk production produc-tion but from practical experience I has been found that certain rations are rood under average conditions for certain purposes pur-poses These are called feeding standards In order not to 1mit the feeder to any particular kind of foods these standards are expressed In digestible protein carbohydrates car-bohydrates and fat Thus a dairy cow of 1CWO ncunds weight has the following standard recommended Dry matter 2451 pounds er day This should contain of digestible protein 215 pounds car iKJhydrates bll8r fat lnH 5pg which makes a nutritive ration of 169 Any combination of suitable foods containing these amounts of dry and digestible matters mat-ters will make the desired ration or oe which corresponds in Its essentials to the experience and practice of good dairymen This exae ration may not give the best results with every dairy cow but In a general W1 I is a reliable cuide Ad jnlttlng that the experience of others In establishing feeding standards Is worth following we may easily avail ourselves I ot them bv the use of a little f tine tin-e merelj devise a mixture of available I foods which shall have the required bulk ap indicated by the dry matter In them and which shall contain the amount and proportions of digestible matter given in the standard There is a satisfaction in knowing that we are following the central cen-tral experience of good feeders In our work While cannot know that Thil we we are feeding the very best ration for our particular circumstances yet there Is I every probability that a ration thus computed com-puted will give better results than are usually obtained from the common hap hazard way of feeding based on no better bet-ter standard than market prices of what foods happen to be on hand The speaker went Into a lengthy discussion discus-sion of te composition of the different Utah feeding stuffs and their different combinations in making up a ration Amongst other points the discussion em phftslzed the folly of selling lucerne at IE J i per ton and feeding JC timothy the i former being a much superior feeding t Ftuff as shown by Its chemical composition compo-sition EVENING SESSION A very instructive and interesting paper on The Home and Its Surroundings Sur-roundings was rend by Mrs L C I Foster which was followed by an address I ad-dress on The New Education by Professor Foster I |