124 AGRICUI<TURE OF MAINE. 



TRADE VALUES OE PROTEIN AND CARBOHYDRATES. 



There are three feeds that are eminently common in Maine. 

 Com meal practically every farmer uses. If he does not buy it 

 he grows it; if he does not grow the corn and grind it into meal, 

 he feeds it in silage. Practically every feeder uses hay and 

 most of them use ordinary mixed hay; timothy, redtop and 

 clover. And nearly every feeder who is represented here uses 

 cottonseed meal or something like it. While there are many 

 farmers in the State who do not use cottonseed meal, there 

 are many more who do use it. Corn represents, when we go 

 to market, the standard article in carbohydrates ; cottonseed 

 meal represents perhaps the cheapest source of protein; mixed 

 hay represents the standard of the articles which we produce 

 upon the farm. Now let us see if we can find the cost of diges- 

 tible carbohydrates, digestible protein and digestible fat in these 

 articles. 



THE COST OE CARBOHYDRATES IN CORN MEAL. 



First, the cost of digestible carbohydrates, or nitrogen-free 

 extract, in corn meal. Corn will carry about 6 per cent of 

 digestible protein, 65.2 per cent of digestible carbohydrates, and 

 3.1 per cent digestible fat. One fact we have not stopped to 

 consider, although you know it. You remember that a pound 

 of fat when it is burned (and about all of the use of the car- 

 bohydrates and fat in the body is for burning) will give off 

 2^ times as much heat as a pound of starch when that is 

 burned. Consequently it is worth for fuel 2^ times as 

 much, and for the sake of simplicity we will try to get 

 rid of the fat by converting it into carbohydrates. The 3. 1 

 per cent of fat in corn meal will then be worth 3.1 times 2^, or, 

 roughly speaking, 7 per cent of carbohydrates. Add this to 

 65.2 and we have 72.2 equivalent carbohydrate material. As 

 you see, we have only a little protein in comparison with the 

 carbohydrates. If you will allow me to assume a value for that, 

 I will assume that the 5.8 pounds is worth 2.7 cents per pound 

 or 15.7 cents. This is, roughly speaking, the value of the pro- 

 tein matter in corn meal. It is pretty hard to make a guess at 

 the price of corn today. The last time I purchased, it was 

 worth about $29 per ton, or $1.45 a hundred. The protein in 100 

 pounds, at the assumed price, is worth 15.7 cents, and that will 



