form of fats ; but mostly as starches and sugars, or carbohydrates, 

 as tlie chemist calls them. After being taken into the body, these 

 carbohydrates are changed into fat. Generally it is better not to 

 feed an animal fat directly, but to feed carbohydrates. 



The larger part of all dried plants, including all kinds of hay and 

 fodder, is carbohydrate. We often hear a farmer speak of corn as 

 " heatening." In the winter he will feed more cracked corn to his 

 horse and corn meal to his hens than in summer. This is a fairly 

 good practice ; but very often the farmer does not know the reason. 

 It is because the corn kernel is full of starch grains ; and after the 

 animal has eaten it, the wonderful chemistry of the stomach turns 

 it into heat-saving and heat-producing fat. 



7. The nitrogenous matters^ sometimes called protein, hiiild up 

 the loorhing machinery of the hody. — They make lean flesh, blood, 

 muscle, skin, hair, wool, feathers, etc., and are especially needed in 

 making milk. If you are keeping cows for their milk, sheep for 

 their wool, horses for their muscle, or even geese for their feathers, 

 it would be v,^ise to feed them enough protein to best develop the 

 desired points in each. This means that you ought to know the 

 food value of everything you feed to your animals. You ought to 

 know whether it will tend to fatten the cow or to increase her flow 

 of milk ; whether it w^ill tend to fatten the hen, and make her lazy, 

 or give her the material for more eggs. The Experiment Station 

 will be glad to answer any questions on this point. 



Some of the common feed-stuifs which are especially rich in pro- 

 tein are all-animal substances ; also oil-cake, cotton-seed meal, gluten 

 feeds and many other concentrated foods. 



8. The different hinds of hay, grain, etc., lohich we feed to our 

 farm animals contain all these four foods : water, mineral matter, 

 nitrogenous matter and fat. — But the point is this, to increase or 

 diminish the supply of each food according to the end in view. 

 That is, to feed a halanced ration. We need not bother much 

 about the water and mineral matter. Enough of both are supplied 

 in ordinary food and drink ; although we should always satisfy the 

 craving of cows and horses for salt, and other appetizers. 



David was feeding timothy hay and corn meal, both of which are 



541 



