PART I. AGRICULTURE. 



I. FEEDING STUFFS. 

 COMPOSITION OF FEEDING STUFFS. 



In the ordinary chemical analysis of feeding stuffs the 

 following constituents are determined, viz., water, ash, pro- 

 tein, crude fiber, nitrogen-free' extract, ether extract (fat). 



Water is present in all feeding stuffs, from above go per 

 cent in green foods and some kinds of roots, to below lo per 

 cent in very dry hay and in concentrated food stuffs. 



Asky or mineral matter, is the non-combustible part of 

 plants, and goes to make the bones of the animal, or to sup- 

 ply material for the maintenance of other parts of the ani- 

 mal body. 



Protein is the name of a large group of substances, all 

 characterized by the fact that they contain the element ni- 

 trogen; hence they are also called nitrogenous substances, 

 and foods rich in protein are spoken of as nitrogenous foods. 

 The protein substances supply the material necessary for the 

 formation of lean meat, ligaments, tendons, hair, horns, 

 hoofs, etc., and also of casein of the milk. Crude protein 

 includes albuminoids and amides; among the former are 

 found white of tgg, lean meat, curd of milk, and gluten; 

 among the latter, asparagin and other crystallizable and 

 water-soluble substances, generally speaking, of a somewhat 

 inferior nutritive value. 



Crude Fiber or woody fiber is the framework of plants, 

 forming the walls of their cells ; it is usually the least 

 digestible portion of feeding stuffs, and the nutritive value 

 of a plant is decreased as its crude fiber content increases. 



Nitrogen-free Extract includes starch, sugar, gums, or- 

 ganic acids, etc., and forms a most important and usually a 

 very large part of cattle foods. Together with cellulose, 

 nitrogen-free extract forms the group of bodies called carbo- 



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