2 THE SCIENTIFIC FEEDING OF ANIMALS 



continually reminded of this fact. In herds of thirty cows an annual 

 saving of 1,000 marks ($250) is in many cases easily possible. Econ- 

 omies of this kind are no more important to the agriculturist than to the 

 country in general. The enormous sums of money that are expended for 

 commercial feeding stuffs go for the most part to foreign countries. Dur- 

 ing the last pre-war years about 800,000,000 marks ($200,000,000) were 

 thus exported to foreign countries. 



The science of feeding may be divided into: 1. The study of feeding 

 stuffs. This treats of origin, characteristics, composition, digestibility, 

 palatability, advantages and disadvantages, impurities and adulterations, 

 judging and using the various feeding stuffs, and their feeding value. 



2. The study of the laws of feeding and nutrition. These treat above 

 all of the food demands of animals for the varied economic purposes, the 

 practical meeting of these demands by feeding and the principles under- 

 lying them. 



The study of injurious or unwholesome qualities or ingredients of feeds 

 is most intimately associated with the study of feeding and with that of 

 feeding stuffs in particular. A sharp distinction is therefore not always 

 possible. In spite of this intimate relationship the subject is not covered 

 in this work, but in conformity to accepted custom is included in and 

 treated with the subjects grouped under the term "hygiene." 



Section I 

 Feeding Stuffs 



The term "feeding stuffs" is applied to organic or inorganic food mate- 

 rial of any character that will serve as nourishment for domestic animals 

 and at the same time, when fed within practical limits, will not injure the 

 health. Indigestible (muck, rice hulls, etc.) or poisonous substances 

 (poisonous plants, etc.) are not included in this term. 



A. Chemical Constituents 



Feeding stuffs, as a rule, consist of a combination of several basic com- 

 ponents — nutrient elements or nutrients. In addition they often contain 

 so-called condimental or flavoring elements. The term nutrient includes 

 all those component parts of feeding stuffs which, after digestion and 

 absorption, serve to produce heat and energy (combustibles), or the 

 building of tissue (organogenic substances) or which are necessary in 

 any other normal function of the body. 

 Nutrients are classified as follows: 



I. Inorganic. (1) Water, (2) Salts, mineral matter or ash. 

 II. Organic. (a) Nitrogen-containing, or (3) albuminous 

 '^ substances or protein, 

 (b)' Nitrogen-free, or (4) fats and (5) car- 

 bohydrates. 



