LIVESTOCK 



Feeds and Feeding. 



A digest of the principles of 'breed- 

 ing, feeding and caring for horses, 

 cattle, sheep and swine, from the 

 foremost authorities in Canada and 

 elsewhere. Technical and scientific 

 terms have been avoided where pos- 

 sible and explained when it has been 

 necessary to make use of them. 



Digestibility. 



The ability of any animal to make 

 proper use of the food supply is of 

 great importance. Of two animals 

 fed the same food, one will consist- 

 ently digest more than the other. In 

 young animals digestive power is as 

 full as in the aged animal. Differ- 

 ences in the quantity of the daily 

 ration of hay do not affect the pro- 

 portion digested; an animal will not 

 digest more after being starved. 

 Labor does not increase materially 

 the quantity of food digested. Differ- 

 ence in quality exercises a great in- 

 fluence, as also the addition of some 

 other food. 



The study of foods and feeding 

 stuffs has shown that although they 

 differ so much in texture and appear- 

 ance they are in reality made up of 

 a small number of chemical constitu- 

 ents, namely, protein, fat, carbohy- 

 drates, and ash, together with a 

 larger or smaller amount of water. 

 The latter can often be seen, as in the 

 juice of fresh plants. In dry foods, 

 such as hay, no water is visible. A 

 small amount Is, however, always 

 present in minute particles in all 

 plant tissues. 



Protein is a name given to the total 

 group of nitrogenous materials pres- 

 ent. The group is made up mainly 

 of the true proteids and albumens. 

 The best-knofwn examples of these 

 substances are such materials as the 

 gluten of wheat, lean meat, the white 

 of an egg, etc. This group also in- 

 cludes other nitrogenous substances 

 called amides, which are believed to 



have a lower feeding value than the 

 true proteids. 



The group "fat" includes the true 

 vegetable fats and oil, like the oil in 

 flaxseed and corn, as well as vege- 

 table wax and a few other materials 

 which are extracted by ether or gaso- 

 line in the usual laboratory method 

 of estimating fat. The name "ether 

 extract" is often, and quite properly, 

 applied to t\is group. 



The group, "carbohydrates" in- 

 cludes starches, sugars, cellulose, and 

 other bodies of a similar chemical 

 structure. 



The group, "mineral matter" in- 

 cludes salts present in the juices and 

 tissues o*f feeding stuffs. These sub- 

 stances are principally sodium, potas- 

 sium, lime, phosphorus and sulphur. 

 The term "ash" is often, and very 

 appropriately, used in speaking of 

 this group, as the mineral matter 

 represents the incombustible portion 

 which remains when the feeding stuff 

 is burned. 



The functions of food are: (1) to 

 supply material to build and repair 

 the body, and (2) to yield energy. 

 The chemical composition of a feed- 

 ing stuff serves as a basis for judg- 

 ing of its value for building and re- 

 pairing body tissue. Its value as a 

 source of energy must, however, be 

 learned In another way. The most 

 in terms of iieat, the caloric being 

 used method of measuring method is 

 taken as the unit. A caloric repre- 

 sents the amount of heat sufficient to 

 •aise the temperature of one kilogram 

 of water one degree on the centi- 

 grade scale, or the temperature of one 

 pound of water four degrees Fahren- 

 heit. 



The fuel value of a ration fed to 

 any animal may be calculated from 

 the composition of the food material 

 supplied, on the assumption that 1 



