CHAPTER XVI 

 THE CONCENTRATES 



Concentrates 1 are feeding stuffs containing a large amount of 

 nutrients in small bulk, such as grains, mill feeds, and oil meals. 

 Another general name for these feeding stuffs is concentrated feeds 

 or " grain feeds." They are, in general, characterized by relatively 

 high amounts of valuable feed components and a high digestibility, 

 and by relatively low amounts of water and fiber. There are prob- 

 ably several hundred feeds of this kind used for the nutrition of 

 farm animals in this country, but only the more important kinds 

 will be considered in this book. They may conveniently be dis- 

 cussed under the following heads: 



1. Cereal grains and other seeds. 



2. Flour-mill and cereal feeds. 



3. Brewery and distillery feeds. 



4. Starch- and glucose- factory feeds. 



5. Sugar-factory feeds. 



6. Oil-mill feeds. 



7. Packing-house feeds. 



8. Dairy products. 



9. Proprietary feeds. 



10. Miscellaneous feeds. 



I. CEREAL GRAINS 



The cereal grains are standard feeds, more or less familiar to 

 all farmers, and until recently the main reliance of feeders for con- 

 centrates. When market prices are not prohibitive, no better or more 

 highly nutritious feeds can be obtained for feeding farm animals. 

 The cereals contain a medium percentage of protein (8 to 12 per 

 cent, nearly all true protein), a high percentage of carbohydrates 

 (about 70 per cent, largely starch), and a medium fat content 

 (2 to 8 per cent). The percentage of ash is rather low, on 

 account of relatively large amounts of carbohydrates and other 

 organic components, but it is high in potash and phosphoric acid, 

 and low in lime. The starch in the grains is formed during the last 

 part of the growing period; hence, if this is checked by drought 

 or lodging of the crops, the grains will be lower in carbohydrates 

 and relatively higher in protein than normally ripened grain. 

 Damaged, shrunken grains, No. 3, No. 4, or rejected grains are, 

 therefore, as a general rule, of a higher feeding value than grain 

 that is graded high and commands the highest prices on the market. 

 The leading cereals, so far as stock feeding goes, will now be con- 



1 This term was originally introduced by Professor W. A. Henry, of 

 Wisconsin, in the nineties, and has now come into general use. 



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