34 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



and why it is all but impossible to fatten a hard working animal. 

 Note that this explains the production of fatty tissues only. The 

 explanation is that the carbohydrates do not contain all of the 

 chemical elements necessary for the production of muscular tis- 

 sue and other similar tissues, as the nervous, connective tissue, 

 the integument and its covering, as wool, hair, feathers, etc. 

 For the production of these tissues the animal requires the nutri- 

 tive element termed protein, a type of which is the gluten sepa- 

 rated from the wheat in a similar manner to that mentioned in 

 the illustration. Similar products are found in practically all 

 of the feeding stuffs ever employed. 



The next question the feeder asks is how we are to find these 

 different nutritive elements. The farmer is not supposed to 

 make the analysis for himself. That has been done and the results 

 published in bulletins that are in reach of every one. The vari- 

 ous experiment stations, and the Department of Agriculture at 

 Washington have issued bulletins that can be had for the asking, 

 giving the nutritive elements in practically all of the feeding 

 stuffs ever employed. 



The feeder then asks: In what proportion do our 

 animals want these different nutritive elements? For the 

 answer to this we must not turn to the chemist but the animal 

 itself, or rather, to recorded results gotten by asking the ani- 

 mals. To illustrate : A one thousand pound steer was placed in 

 a comfortable stable, his food and his water being carried to 

 him so that he was not expending any large amount of energy, 

 or using any large amount of food in producing heat. Known 

 amounts of the different nutritive elements were fed him until 

 it was found out just how much of each it required to maintain 

 him at one thousand pounds weight for twenty-four hours time. 

 That is, the maintenance ration w^as found, the result being that 

 he required about seven-tenths of a pound of protein and ten 

 times that amount of carbohydrates and fats. The question was 

 next put to a cow of the same weight giving twenty-five pounds 

 of milk every twenty-four hours of time. The result, as would 

 readily be guessed, was that the cow required more food, the 

 food being- required for the production of milk, but a simple 

 increase in feeds of the same kind was not satisfactory. The 

 cow wanted a greater increase in the protein, the result being 



