Glossary. 641 



Maintenance ration. An allowance of food suflBcient to maintain a rest- 

 ing rnimal — neither gaining nor losing in weight. 

 Mammoth clover. I'rifolium medium. 

 Mangel, mangel-wurzel. Beta vulgaris. 

 Masticate. To crush or grind food with the teeth. (34) 

 Meadow fescue. Festuca pratensis. 



Metabolism. The process by which, on the one hand, the digested food 

 is built up into living matter, and on the other, the living matter 

 is broken down into simpler i^roducts within a cell or organism. 

 Meter. A metric unit of length equaling 3.28 feet. 

 Millet, common. Panicum miliaceum. 



Millo maize. Sorghum vulgare or Andropogon sorghum., var. 

 Mineral matter. See Ash. (18) 



Nitrogen-free extraict. 1\\e portion of a feeding stuff remaining when the 

 moisture, ash, ether extract, crude fiber and nitrogen are deducted; 

 it includes starch, sugar, gums, etc. (22) 

 Nitrogenous substance. Any food substance containing nitrogen. See 



Protein. 

 N.itrient. Any food constituent or group of food constituents cajjable of 

 nourishing animals. Sugar, carbohydrates and protein are nu- 

 trients. 

 Nutritive ratio. The proportion of digestible protein to digestible carbo- 

 hydrates and ether extract in a ration, the percentage of ether 

 extract being multiplied by 2.4 and added to the carbohydrates. 

 Oil meal. As understood by American farmers, this term applies only to 



linseed oil cake reduced to meal by grinding. (200) 

 Omasum. The third stomach of ruminants. (28) 



Omniverous. Eating or living upon animal or vegetable food indiscrim- 

 inately. 

 Orchard grass. Dactylis glomerata. 

 Organic matter. The part of a feeding stuff which is destroyed oy ourn- 



ing. 

 Parsnip. Pasfinaca safiva. 



Pepsin. The diges""vo ferroeat found in the stomach of animals. (27) 

 Period of gestation The length of time of carrying the young; from 



conception to birth. 

 Period of lactation. The time during which the annual suckles her 



young; with dairy cows, the period from calving to drying off. 

 Prickly comfrey. Symphytum asperrimum. 



Protein. A tenn used to characterize the constituents of feeding stuffs 

 which contain nitrogen. The organic part of the bones, muscles, 

 tendons, internal organs, skin, etc., of the animal body are formed 

 from the protein nutrients of feeding stuffs. Wheat gluten and 

 white of egg are examples of protein. On the average, IG per cent. 

 41 



