STOCK FEEDING. 177 



ing all the waste for their growing crops. By a wise i^rovision of 

 nature the needs of our animals and our plants are dissimilar. There- 

 fore after the animals have taken all they require from our fodders 

 there is still left, the larger part of the plant food, which, being re- 

 turned to the land will enrich it as much as if the whole had been 

 plowed under. The rations for young stock need not be expensive. 

 We do not feed for fat but for growth and flesh. Ground oats, wheat 

 bran, corn and cob meal, with roots, make a profitable feed and fur- 

 nish an abundance of fertilizing material that is left upon the farm. 

 The quality and amount of the grain ration must be determined 

 largely by the kinds of hay fed. If much low ground hay or straw 

 is led, the grain must be varied accordhigly and made to supply the 

 food elements lacking in these. Cotton seed meal makes a valuable 

 srain ration to feed with such coarse fodders, and\ as each ton fed 

 on the farm leaves $16.18 in fertilizing material it is a desirable 

 addition to our cattle foods. The only profit to be derived from food 

 is from what is consumed over and above the actual needs of the 

 animal. The more food we can cause our animals to eat and 

 properly digest the greater the returns relatively. Therefore liberal 

 feeding should be the rule, no matter what kind of animals we have 

 in our care. 



Possibly the kind of stock to be fed should be next considered. 

 As this paper is largel}' devoted to methods of increasing the fertil- 

 ity of the farm, and as each branch or speciality of farming should 

 be carefully considered before making any choice, we will look for 

 a moment at the amount of plant food taken from the soil by the 

 various products to be sold, so that we may intelligently supply its 

 place and reckon its cost on the debtor side of our account. We give 

 a table showing the plant food taken from the soil by one ton of the 

 different fodders and animal products, with its value, market value 

 of the articles named, and per cent of plant food in each. 



