EXPEHIMENTAL AGRICULTURE. 123 



reqtiiroments of the aninuil ; while other fodders, whose vahie lias 

 been greatly over-estimated by many practieal farmers, are finding 

 their true place in the list of feeding materials. 



Though everything has not been learned in regard to the econom- 

 ical feeding of animals, much has been discovered which, if taken 

 advantage of, would save thousands of dollars annually to the 

 fanners of the State. As an example of what may be done in this 

 direction, I give the results of some feeding expei'iments carried on 

 at the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station in 1880. But, 

 to enable the reader to fully comprehend them, I will state the 

 reasons for the combinations in the fodders fed in the experiment : 

 The nutritive portions of fodders consist of three classes of com- 

 pounds known to chemists under the names of Albuminoid or Pro- 

 tein compounds, Carbhydrates, and Fats. The albuminoids are 

 what ar(; popularly called flesh formers. They are compounds that 

 resemble very closely in composition the white of an egg, lean meat 

 and what is known to farmers' boys as wheat gum. Fats are what 

 are ordinarily understood by that term. Their chief source as food 

 for domestic animals are the vegetable oils that exist in the principal 

 fodders. Carbhydrates are such compounds as sugar, starch, etc. 



Now, feeding experiments have shown that according to the ani- 

 mal fed and according to the object for which it is fed, the best 

 results are obtained when approximately definite amounts of the 

 above named substances are furnished to the animal in a digestible 

 form for 1,000 pounds live weight, and that when otherwise fed 

 there is a waste of feeding material. It thus happens that many of 

 the coarse fodders which contain small quantities of albuminoids, 

 but no inconsiderable amounts of carbhydrates, are, when fed alone, 

 comparatively valueless, but if the}' be fed in connection with some 

 substance rich in albuminoids, they can be turned to good account. 

 It is never the case tb.at any one fodder contains the albuminoids, 

 fats and carbhydrates in the proportion to form a complete ration 

 for any animal ; and there is therefore usually a waste of feeding 

 material when our fodders are fed alone. For instance, German 

 investigators have shown by experiment that milk cows require, to 

 hold them in the same condition as to flesh and at the same time 

 keep up a good flow of milk, 2.5 pounds of digestible albuminoids, 

 12.5 pounds of digestible carbh^'d rates, 0.4 pounds of digestible 

 fats, daily in a ration of 2-1 pounds of dry matter for 1,000 pounds 

 live weight. I mav sav also that the practice of the German 



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