10 July, 1916.] Feeding Terms. 409 



FEEDING TERMS. 



By B. A. Barr, Senior Dairy Supervisor. 

 Some Simple Explanations. 



Simple definitions of the following terms used in stock feeding are 

 offered with a view to assist a proper understanding of the importance 

 of economical feeding, especially when it is necessary to make use of 

 purchased foodstuffs. High prices for dairy stock are likely to be main- 

 tained for many years. The prices of dairy produce will be regulated, 

 when normal conditions again obtain, by the world's supply and demand. 

 The farmer cannot regulate the price of daii-y produce in proportion to 

 the cost of dairy cows, but attention may profitably be given to increasing 

 the production^ and, at the same time, lessening its cost. In other 

 words, dairy farming should be specialized. One method of lessening 

 the cost of production is to remove all cows which do not pay for feed 

 and attention ; and another is to incx-ease the supply of food as long 

 as an adequate profit is returned. 



Protein. 



Protein is a term applied to a group of substances present in varyin • 

 amounts in all foodstuffs. It is composed of the elements carbon, 

 hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, frecjuently sulphur, and sometimes 

 phosphorus and iron. 



Protein in the food is essential to the building up of flesh, and to 

 milk secretion. The albumen and casein, or curd of milk, are proteins, 

 and the greater the amount of milk yielded the greater will be the 

 amount of protein required in the food. In common cattle foods linseed 

 and coconut oil cake contain the largest amounts ; then follow gluten feed 

 — polly meal, pollard, bran, oats, crushed maize, green lucerne, clover, 

 mixed grasses, green oats, barley, and maize. 



The proteins form a very extensive group, and the protein of each 

 particular grain of fodder is different: in some characteristic from that 

 contained in a different species or kind of food. Partly for this reason, 

 a mixed ration is desirable, insomuch as a combination of foodstuffs will 

 insure the presence of all necessary groups, whereas a single feed micjht 

 be deficient in an essential group. Also, the food value of the protein 

 varies that present in the grains and mill products — bran, (fee. — being 

 greater than that contained in hav, green fodder, and roots. 



The animal can only utilize economically sufficient protein to repair 

 the wastage of tissues to promote growth, and to provide for milk 

 secretion. In ordinary feeding, anv excess above these requirements is 

 passed off unused. An average dairy cow requires about .5 lb. of 

 digestible protein daily for maintenance, and, in addition. .04 lb. for 

 each pound of milk. Nevertheless, in making U|> a ration for milking 

 cows, it is inadvisible to restrict the protein content to the theoretical 

 amount, for two reasons: — (1) The food values of foodstuffs vary within 

 wide limits; (2) a slight excess of easily digestible j)rotein jiossesses a 

 stimiilat itig effect on milk secretion. 



Wheji a})plied to cattle foods, protein, albuminoids, and nitrogenous 

 substances are synonvmons. 



