116 A STUDY OF FARM ANIMALS 



the supply is exhausted. If, for example, the flaxseed crop 

 of America is very poor, then linseed oil meal is likely to be 

 high-priced, and perhaps would cost more than it is really 

 worth. There is no special rule, however, about that mat- 

 ter, and sometimes business combinations control the prices 

 of such feeds, so that one must pay without regard to the 

 actual supply on the market. Market prices, however, are 

 no guide as to the real value of feeds, and we have no satis- 

 factory method of determining comparative values. The 

 most satisfactory plan thus far devised is to ascertain the 

 cost of each pound of total digestible nutrients in a ton of 

 feed. For example; if a ton of corn, containing 85.7 per cent 

 of digestible nutrients, costs $20.00 on the market, then each 

 pound of nutrients would cost 1.17 cents. If hominy feed of 

 very similar composition, containing 84.6 per cent of digest- 

 ible nutrients, costs $26.00 a ton, then each nutrient will cost 

 1.54 cents per pound, which is a decided increase in cost for 

 the nutrients in the hominy as compared with those in the 

 corn. If one purchases high-priced protein feed, then it may 

 be wise to base judgment in purchase on the relative cost of 

 a pound of digestible protein from feeds of different kinds, 

 as, for example, cottonseed meal and linseed meal. We can 

 not, however, entirely determine the value of a feed from its 

 chemical composition. Linseed meal is universally recog- 

 nized as having a feed value beyond what is brought out by 

 the chemist, as shown in its value in conditioning animals. 

 Many feeders of roots also claim that a chemical analysis 

 does not bring out their real feeding value, which is much 

 greater than the figures indicate. 



CEREALS AND THEIR BY-PRODUCTS 



Indian corn is our most common grain. It is a food rich 

 in carbohydrates and fat, and is especially valued for fatten- 

 ing animals. It is often called a heating food, on account of 

 its heat or energy value. It is greatly relished by all farm 



