FORAGE. 35 



oats. Fnmvjation or UiachiiKj. Datnj) oats. Softness. Afn-itiness. 

 Mouldiness. Sjjrouting, dirt, stones, want of winnotving. 73. Distinction 

 between old and new oats. 7Sa. Crushed oats. 74. Other grain. 75. 

 Beans. 75a. Peas. 75b. Wheat. 76. Hay. 77. Chopped hay. 78. 

 Waste of hay. 79. Quality and valve of hay. 80. Upland, lowland, and 

 water-meadow hay. 81. Distinction between upland, lowland, and ivater- 

 meadoto hay. 82. Characteristics of good upland hay, 83. Characteristics 

 of inferior and bad upland hay. 84. Loicland hay. 85. Grasses which 

 compose good upland hay. 86. Inferior grasses. 87. Very infei-ior grasses. 

 88. Bad grasses. 89. Upland herbage 90. Lowland herbage. 91. Be- 

 capitulation. 92. Weeds. 93. Of the time of cutting and saving hoy. 

 94. Of late cut hay. 95. Of saving hay. 96. On mahinghay. 97. Mow- 

 burnt hay. 98. Dtist in hay. 98a. Second cr->p or aftermath. 9bh. Dis- 

 tinction between old and new hay. 98c. New v. old hay, as regards feeding . 

 98d. Irish hay. 98e. Pressed hay. 98/. Clover hay. 98g. Green forage. 

 98//. Carrots. 98i. Gruel. 98j. Bran. 98k. Linseed foods. 981. Boiled 

 foods. 98m. Straw. 98n. Artificial foods. 98o. Concentrated foods. 



67. Chemical analyses of food. 



It i.s difficult, if not impossible, to estimate accurately by means of 

 cliemical analyses the nutritive value of the various substances used as 

 food. All food must of course contain certain nutritive constituents ; 

 but it does not follow that the food which possesses those constituents in 

 the greatest abundance will produce the most beneficial results. Diges- 

 tibility, readiness of assimilation, absence of unduly heating properties, 

 and many other qualities are needed in order to make a substance pos- 

 sessing the necessary ingredients available as food. Chemistry is a 

 valuable but not an infallible guide, and its indications require to be . 

 tempered by the test of experience. 



67a. Division of Foods. 



The author does not deem it uecessaiy to enter into a minute descrip- 

 tion of the chemical elements of foods. It will be sufficient to mention 

 that all nutritive foods are divided into three great principles, viz. nitro- 

 genous, non-nitrogenous, and inorganic. 



Nitrogenous elements contain the various forms of albumen, the func- 

 tions of which are to provide material for the repair and nourishment of 

 the various tissues of the body, namely, bone, muscle, or flesh, &c. 



Nitrogenous elements exist in all animal and in some vegetable foods. 

 They are nearly identical in their chemical composition, whether found 

 in animal or vegetable food. For instance, the albumen, gluten, and 

 legumen of vegetables are composed of the same chemical constituents, 

 and in nearly the same proportion, as the albumen, fibrin, and casein of 

 animal foods. 



