loo ELEMENTARY AGRICULTURE 



he makes shoes. If he were to start a chair factory 

 he would buy lumber instead. That is, his selection 

 of material would depend upon the kind of product he 

 expected to manufacture. It is just the same in the 

 feeding of farm animals. If milk is to be produced, 

 then foods that make milk must be fed. If eggs are 

 wanted, hens must be fed egg-producing foods. If 

 work is to be done, then foods which make energy 

 must be supplied.. The horse is a machine to do 

 work, the hen an egg-making machine, the cow a milk 

 factory. Different foods are the raw materials; eggs 

 and milk, the manufactured products. 



Importance of Right Selection of Foods. But, you 

 say, we know that lumber is needed to make chairs; 

 leather, nails and thread necessary in the manufacture 

 of shoes; but we don't know what will make milk and 

 eggs. Well, you have grasped at the question that 

 underlies the whole system of feeding, and until the 

 farmer determines for himself the best and most eco- 

 nomical food to be used in order to produce the de- 

 sired results farming will not pay him its largest re- 

 turns. 



Classification of Foods. Foods are conveniently di- 

 vided into three classes fats, protein and carbohy- 

 drates. These are big words, but they are easily un- 

 derstood. 



Fats. Butter, lard, tallow, and all kinds of oils 

 come under the head of fats. 



Protein. The white of an egg is almost pure pro- 

 tein ; the sticky part of flour is protein ; the scum on the 



