194 THE SCIENTIFIC FEEDING OF ANIMALS 



as much as 1 pound constitute the maximum that can be administered 

 daily without harm. 



As already indicated, it is possible to influence the character of the fat 

 formed in the body by proper selection of the food fats. Practical ex- 

 perience as well as scientific investigations have shown that carbonaceous 

 grains, poor in fat (rye, barley, peas, beans, lentils) potatoes, beets and 

 palmseed, cocoanut and cottonseed cake produce fat of a high melting 

 point in cattle and swine; in other words, hard lard and tallow. On the 

 other hand, sunflower seed cake, flaxseed cake and rapeseed cake, corn, 

 oats, wheat, bran, rice feed meal, as well as tankage and fish meal, pro- 

 duce fat of a low melting point; in other words, soft or flabby fat. Thus 

 the character and quality of pork is improved by the former, while the 

 quality of beef is improved by the latter group of feed concentrates. 



Expensive albumen nutrients do not enter into fattening rations to any 

 extent. The cheaper carbonaceous feeding stuffs cannot be surpassed as 

 fattening feeds. The albumens do not even indirectly influence fat for- 

 mation from the carbohydrates. It is necessary merely to provide sutft- 

 cient albumen to prevent loss of the albuminous tissues already present 

 in the body. Feed combinations with ratios of 1 : 10-12 are amply suffi- 

 cient for this purpose. On the other hand, when large amounts of albu- 

 minous feeds are at our disposal without extra or excessive cost the ratio 

 may be contracted to 1 :4 without any fear that the success of our efforts 

 will be interfered with. 



As Rubner and Kellner have pointed out, the deposit of fat will pro- 

 ceed at a rate proportional to the excess of the additional albumen ; viz., 

 1 kg. of digested starch will produce 248 gm. of fat (= 56.4 per cent 

 of the heat that was stored up in the digested nutrient), 1 kg. of digested 

 crude fiber will produce 253 gm. of fat {= 57 per cent), 1 kg. cane 

 sugar produces 188 gb. (= 45.2 per cent), 1 kg. of albumen 235 gm. 

 (= 38.7 per cent), and 1 kg. fat 474 to 598 gm. (= 64.4 per cent) of 

 fat in the ox. Swine utilize the productive portion of the digested food 

 to the extent of 20 to 25 per cent above that utilized by the ox. The 

 statement made above that "the deposit of fat will proceed at a rate pro- 

 portional to the excess of the additional albumen" must of course be 

 interpreted with limitation. When the total nutriment taken up is ex- 

 cessive, the digestive functions become abnormal and the rule laid down 

 ceases to apply. 



1. Fattening rations for mature ruminants, according to Kellner, un- 

 der ordinary conditions should contain, per 1,000 pounds live weight, 

 per head and per day, the following: 



1.6 pounds digestible albumen (2.0 pounds for 2-3 year olds), 0.7 

 pounds digestible fat, 13-16.0 pounds digestible carbohydrates (nitrogen- 

 free extract and crude fiber), 24-32 pounds of dry matter, 12.5-14.5 

 pounds starch value, 1 :10-12 nutritive ratio. 



In constructing feeding rations, the dally amount of hay and straw 

 which the available supply will permit for each animal (12 to 15 pounds 



