376 FARMEES' INSTITUTES. 



is this so true as in stock husbandry. It should never be forgotten that the 

 most successful management of stock requires precise knowledge and a per- 

 fect acquaintance with details. 



How few farmers take into consideration the annual milk product of a 

 cow in estimating her value! A cow may give a large milk yield for a short 

 time, and then fall off and go dry for half the year, and so be kept at a loss, 

 while another giving only a moderate yield, but with a much longer period 

 of lactation, would return a fair profit ; but too frequently the verdict of the 

 owner would be in favor of the poorer animal. How many animals are fed 

 for the markets at a loss because they lack feeding quality — the ability to 

 assimilate food so as to make good returns. How can this be remedied? 

 Only by careful selection, by actual tests of the value of the milk for dairy 

 products, if so used, and the keeping of accurate milk records. With these 

 facts in hand, not guesses nor vague impressions, the breeder, the dairyman, 

 can weed out from his herd such animals as are not up to his standard. By 

 the proper management and breeding of his best he is on the sure road to 

 improvement. He has cows that he knows pay a good profit on investment, 

 food and care. This matter of selection is equally applicable to all classes of 

 stock. Select the best from your herds, and do not be tempted to sell them 

 by liberal offers. 



ECONOMICAL FEEDING. 



We have much to learn as regards the feeding of animals. Science has 

 contributed some well-established principles that apply here, and in the light 

 of these, a study of the relation of food to animal growth can not fail to be 

 of service. 



The old notion that the feeding of grain increased the cost of keep and 

 production is no longer credited. Grain fed properly cheapens the cost of 

 the increase in weight. As a rule, grain is as cheap or cheaper than hay for 

 a. part ration, and can be fed with greater economy. 



But economical feeding means the proper selection and combination of the 

 foods adapted to secure desired results. It embraces also the utmost regu- 

 larity as to the time of feeding, as well as the quantity of food for each ration. 

 A careful, regular feeder will produce better results with inferior food and 

 animals, when they are fed promptly at equal times and in proper amounts, 

 than an irregular feeder with the best food and stock. 



Animal products, milk, beef, pork and mutton, are produced from the 

 'plants used for food. The animal is only the machine that transforms the 

 nutrition in the food into these products. We see at once that if the food is 

 lacking in the materials that produce milk or beef, for instance, the machine 

 is without the proper material to do its work. The nutrition must be in the 

 food, or the animal must go without it. It has been clearly demonstrated 

 that it takes a certain amount of the food to keep up the animal heat — to 

 maintain life and force for the work it must perform, and if we are only fur- 

 nishing sufficient food to answer this purpose, in other words a maintenance 

 ration, there can be no gain in weight, no increase in milk yield. In other 

 words, we are feeding the animal without returns for food consumed. I may 

 call your attention briefly to the two classes of materials of which foods are 

 composed. 



1st. The nitrogenous — those containing nitrogen, and usually termed 

 albuminoids — embracing albumen, caseine and fibrin — a better name may be 



