Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 07.djvu/558

* FEEDING FARM ANIMALS. 50G FEEDING STUFFS. supplement the coarser and less concentrated feeds grown on the farm ; and the introduction and cultivation of different kinds of leguminous crops, such a» clovers, soy bean, cow-pea, alfalfa, etc., increased the supply of protein, which is the most expensive of the nutrients. Stock-feeding is an art in which experience and judgment are very important elements of suc- cess. The aid of science has been invoked, and, ' uli of investigations in animal physiology and the chemistry of nutrition, many of the scientific principles underlying the art have been worked out and formulated. These studies have shown that the animal body is composed mainly of four classes of substances — water, ash, fat. and nitrogenous materials — the proportions of each varying with the age of the animal, treat- ment, purpose for which it is kept, etc. These materials are being constantly broken down or consumed as a result of the life of the animal. To keep the animal in a healthy and vigorous condition there must be a constant supply of new material, i.e. food, and of the kind of food that furnishes the necessary nutrients. If an animal is growing, or producing milk, or performing heavy work, food is required in addition to that needed to supply the natural waste of the body. The principles of feeding animals rest upon re- placement of the natural losses of the body and upon supplying the proper materials for making growth. The various materials used as food for animals contain the same four constituents found in the body, namely, water, ash, fat, nitrogenous substances (protein), carbohydrates (sugar, starch, etc.), and, in addition, fibre. Regarding their functions, it may be said, first, that food, when assimilated, is in part consumed to yield heat and energy for work and action, and in part stored up in the body for repair of the organs and as additional supply of fat, muscle, and other tissues. The sources of heat in the body and energy for work are supplied mainly by the fat and carbohydrates, and. under some conditions, by the protein. The value of fat as a heat-pro- ducer is nearly two and a half times that of car- bohydrates or protein. The sources of fat in the body are mainly the fat and carbohydrates of the food: the carbohydrates are not incorporated into the body as such, but are changed to fat. The exclusive source of protein, which is the essen- tial constituent of blood, skin, muscle, tendon, nerve, hair, wool, casein of milk, etc., is the pro- tein of the food. Menee I lie importance of gup- plying a liberal amount of protein in the food. The excess of protein may be worked over into fat, or it may he consumed by Hi'' bodj to yield body lieai ami energy for work. The fibre serves the same pur] a- il arbohydrates, ami the ash is used in the framework -the hones — and is also a constituent of the blood ami other < ponents of the body. The needs of farm animals under different conditions of growth, work, and production have been studied in intricate experi- ments, .'"'1 as a result the body requirements, in terms of digestible protein, fat. ami carbohy- drates, have been largely determined. The-, re quircments have been formulated in the shape of so-called i ling tandards,' which, while not ah- I inflexible measures of the body needs, are convenient ami helpful indications of th'' if nut 1 ii' n 1 i '| 'I peT day. The tiposition, fuel value, and digestibility "I the principal feeding stuffs have been determined and are set forth in tables in convenient form for calculating rations. The calculation enables the feeder to determine the relative amounts id' the different feeding stuffs which should be combined in making up the ration so as to avoid waste. Abstract knowledge cannot take the place of ■ ," aience in stock-feeding, but it will prove of great value when combined with experience, en- abling more intelligent practice, and giving a deeper insight and a wider range of vision. The agricultural experiment stations have worked nut ami te~ied a great variety of rations for dif- ferent kinds of animals, and, from studies of the rations which were being fed by farmers, have been able to suggest modifications of them which, while more scientific, were also more economical and effective. It is impossible, in the space here available, to give rations or directions for feeding under the varied conditions which prevail in dif- ferent localities. The kinds of feeding stuffs available and their cost, and the system of farm- ing which is practiced, all have to be taken into account. Since the farmer usually has sufficient carbohydrate materials, he seeks to increase his supply of protein in the concentrated feeds he buys. The tables of composition will assist him in -electing these materials. In addition to the publications of the experiment stations, several excellent books have been written which treat the subject of feeding from both the scientific and the practical side. Consult: Armsby, Man- ual of (Uittle Weeding I Xew York, 1890) ;' Henry, Feeds and Feeding i Madison. Wis.. 1902); and "The Feeding of Farm Animals," in United States Department of Agriculture, Farmers' Bul- letin No. .'..' (Washington. 1!)02); Jordan. Feed- ing hi Animals (Xew York, 1901). See Cattle; Dairyixc ; Feeding Stuffs; linos; Sheep. FEEDING STUFFS. A general term applied to all kinds of food materials used for farm animals, including so-called 'fodder.' forage.' and grain feeds. These materials are very diverse in character. They may be green, wet, or dry: the whole plant, as in the ease of hay; only a part, as in the case of root crops; and the seeds ,,f grains, or by-products from various manufac tories. They are vegetable for the most part, al- though ground meat and bone and blood are used to some extent, especially in Europe, and the by products from the dairy — skim milk, buttermilk, and whey — find extensive use for young animals. The number and variety of feeding stuffs has in- creased greatly in recent years. Formerly bay. corn fodder, straw, and the cereal grains consti- tuted the main supply, but now the supply of home-grown and commercial f ling stuffs has become exceedingly varied, by the introduction ami wide cultivation of a long list of field crops, such a- millets, cow-pea, field peas, soy bean. Vetch, ripe, alfalfa, etc.: by the elel]sie pro duel inn of brans from the flour-mills, oil cakes from linseed ami cottonseed oil mills; and by numerous bj products from the manufacture of sugar, starch, breakfast funds, I r and malt liquors, which arc prepared from corn and cereal grains. New kinds appear upon the market annually, ami variations in the method of manu- facture cause rhanees in i he composition ami character of the in product, I. ■■ ■ ' 1 1 1 1 ■ ■ I nil's may be classified in .i