FEEDING THE STOCK 103 



reason is plain. Corn is rich in carbohydrates. These 

 supply heat and produce fat. Oats are rich in protein, 

 a muscle-builder, and furnish energy. In spring time 

 it is muscle and energy that is wanted, not heat and 

 fat. 



Special Foods Needed. Sheep need food rich in 

 protein. Why ? Wool is to be produced. Wool is com- 

 posed principally of protein. Hens are expected to 

 lay eggs. What should they be fed? Corn produces 

 fat. A strictly corn diet should therefore be avoided. 

 Eggs are composed largely of protein. Feed protein 

 foods. The shells are composed of mineral matter. 

 Lime, broken or ground bone, ashes and gravel should 

 always be where the hens can get at them. In gen- 

 eral : Nature has provided, in summer, proper foods 

 for most farm animals, and the nearer summer condi- 

 tions can be duplicated the greater will be the farmer's 

 success. 



Special Proportions. Pigs fed exclusively on a 

 corn diet sometimes have weak bones. Why? Be- 

 cause there is not enough mineral matter in corn out 

 of which to make strong bones. Growing pigs should 

 be fed protein foods, with plenty of mineral matter 

 in them to form bone and muscle. Later, when fatten- 

 ing time comes, fat producing foods, like corn, should 

 be fed. In most foods there is an abundance of carbo- 

 hydrates. The chief difficulty will be to provide suf- 

 ficient protein to bring the ratio up to six to one; that 

 is, so that there will not be more than six times as 



