102 ELEMENTARY AGRICULTURE 



by themselves. When carbohydrates are spoken of in 

 this book fats are meant to be included. 



Difference Between Protein Foods .and Carbo- 

 hydrates. Now, the great difference between protein 

 foods and the carbohydrates is this : Protein contains 

 nitrogen and the carbohydrates do not. Nitrogen, as 

 you will remember, is the substance taken from the air 

 by the bacteria on the roots of the legumes and added 

 to the soil. You will also remember it as the principal 

 one of the three plant foods that become exhausted 

 from the soil. 



Balanced Ration. By consulting the table at the 

 end of this chapter you will readily learn the amount 

 of protein and carbohydrates in the different feeding 

 stuffs. A "balanced" ration is one in which there is 

 about six times as much carbohydrates as protein. A 

 ration containing a larger proportion of carbohydrates 

 is called a "wide" ration ; one containing less than six 

 times as much carbohydrates as protein is called a 

 "narrow" ration. By a balanced ration we mean the 

 best ration to feed under ordinary conditions. For dry 

 feeds the combined weight of both the protein and the 

 carbohydrates should be equal to at least one-half the 

 total weight of the ration. 



Different Uses of Foods. Foods rich in protein are 

 bone and muscle-formers. Those rich in carbohydrates 

 are fat formers. Carbohydrates keep the body warm. 

 If muscle is to be built up. then muscle- forming foods 

 should be fed. Farmers have learned that corn alone 

 is a good grain for horses only in the winter time. The 



