15 



in the fat content of these two feeding-stuffs. The average protein con- 

 tent is, however, about 5 per cent, higher in the case of middlings. The 

 percentage of crude fibre is much the same in both middHngs and corn 

 meal. Another matter which the practical agriculturist has to consider 

 in feeding young and growing animals is the quantity of ash, or bone 

 forming material, which a food may contain. In comparing the aver- 

 age percentage of ash in wheat middlings with that of corn the figures 

 reveal a vey marked difference in favor of the wheat middlings. 



It has been said in another part of this bulletin, that the ash con- 

 stituents of a feeding-stuff are of great importance to young and growing 

 animals. The fact that gluten meal and such by-products contain a low 

 percentage of ash has also been mentioned. These products, however, 

 are used by comparatively few of our farAmers. Corn meal, on the other 

 hand, is used very extensively in certain parts of Ontario; therefore a 

 few facts concerning the quantity and quality of the ash of corn meal 

 as compared with the ash material required by the animal body may not 

 be out of place. The complaint has often been heard that hogs fed on 

 corn alone have weak bones. The reason for this is very apparent when 

 we consider the amount of ash required by these animals for the building 

 up of the bone, with the percentage of ash indicated in the foregoing 

 table, which is 1.4 per cent., or 1.4 pounds in 100 pounds of the corn 

 meal. Of this 1.4 pounds .032 of a pound is lime and .67 of a pound is 

 phosphoric acid. *Now, according to Professor Henry of Madison, 

 Wis., 534 pounds of corn will produce 100 pounds of gain. And since 

 this amount of corn contains 7.47 pounds of ash, of which .69 per cent, 

 is phosphoric acid and lime, there is only .051 pounds of the principal 

 bone-forming materials supplied to the growing hog. Now, let us con- 

 sider the requirements of the hog. His increase in weight is 100 pounds, 

 of which, according to Lawes and Gilbert, 2.9 per cent, is ash. Of this 

 99.0 per cent, is bone ash. From these figures it is apparent that in 

 100 pounds gain 2.87 pounds of bone ash has been formed, of which 

 97.25 per cent, is made up of lime and phosphoric acid, or 2.79 pounds 

 of lime and phosphoric acid are necessary under normal conditions to 

 supply the ash material necessary for 100 pounds of growth. There- 

 fore, if corn meal be fed alone there will be a deficiency of 2:70 pounds 

 of the necessary ash constituents of bone. Hence, it is not surprising 

 that animals fed on such a ration are weak boned. 



What has been said regarding the ash material required for the 

 building up of the bone in the case of the^ growing hog is, in the main, 

 true of all young and growing animals. Such animals require from five 

 to seven per cent, of ash in their food, and of this about 97.0 per cent, 

 should be lime and phosphoric acid. Therefore when corn is fed to 



young animals it should be mixed with other foods containing a much 

 higher percentage of ash in order that the bone forming material of 

 these animals may be furnished in sufficient quantity. 



*Iowa Agriculturist, April, 1904. 



