SELECTION OF RATIONS 293 



"do not do well." Persons sometimes claim that they 

 have contracted dyspepsia by eating food which is not 

 relished, even food that is nutritious and well cooked, 

 and which would be entirely satisfactory to other indi- 

 viduals. The situation is still worse when the food is 

 undesirable both as to texture and flavor. We have 

 reason to believe that animals are susceptible to the same 

 influences as man, though perhaps not to the same 

 extent. An animal is more than a machine, and is pos- 

 sessed of a nervous organism, the existence of which 

 should never be ignored. 



One way of stimulating an animal's appetite is to 

 feed a variety of materials. Continuous feeding on a 

 single coarse food and one grain is not conducive to the 

 best results. The various available fodders and grains 

 should be so combined as to allow the feeding of all of 

 them throughout the season, and avoid the exclusive use 

 of one or two kinds for any extended period of time. The 

 skilful feeder, then, will not fail to make the ration as 

 palatable as possible, and will always consider the idiosyn- 

 crasies of appetite of each animal. 



390. Adaptation of rations. The ration must be 

 adapted to the species. This is obvious as relates to 

 quantity, but is equally true of the kinds of materials. 

 For instance, both poultry and swine generally eat cot- 

 tonseed meal with reluctance and with danger to health. 

 Wheat bran is less desirable for swine than for other 

 species. The horse and the hog are not adapted to rough 

 fodder as are the ruminants. It is useless, however, to 

 mention at this point other instances of this character, 

 or to comment on their importance, further than to 

 emphasize the foolishness of trying to bring all species of 

 animals to a common basis in the supply of feeding-stuffs. 



