96 



CANADIAN FARM YEAR BOOK. 



Selection of 



In selecting feeding stuffs for his 

 Btock, the farmer will naturally be 

 governed by the condition of the 

 market. The cost oi ueedlng stuff* 

 ia controlled by other factors than 

 the actual amounts of food materiars 

 which they comtain; indeed, there 

 often appears to be very little con- 

 nection between the two. Bearing in 

 mind that the protein is the most 

 expensive ingredient, and the one 

 especially sought in concentrated 

 feeds, the farmer can make his selec- 

 tion with the aid of the tables show- 

 ing the digestive materials in 100 

 pounds. This will show him whether 

 feed wheat at 70 cents a bushel is as 

 cheap as corn at 60 cents, and how 

 gluten feed at $25 per ton will com- 

 pare with linseed meal at $30. 



Stock Foods. 



A considerable number of proprie- 

 tary articles, sold under trade names, 

 are found on the markets of this 

 country. Judging from the extent 

 to which they are advertised and sta- 



Feed Stuffs 



tistics which hay* been collected 

 from feedars, the employment of pre- 

 pared or condimental feeds must be 

 quite extensive. Extravagant claimi 

 are made for them as to their effect 

 upon the general health of animals, 

 and their feeding value, or their 

 ability to increase the feeding value 

 of other foods fed in conjunction with 

 them. They frequently contain a con- 

 siderable quantity of salt, some ifenu- 

 greek, aromatic seeds, charcoal, Ep- 

 som salts, sulphur, cayenne pepper, 

 gentian, ginger, etc. 



Analysis of samples of these feed- 

 ing stuffs collected from time to time 

 show that none of them can be re- 

 garded as concentrated feeds in the 

 common acceptance of the term. The 

 basis of the best of them is linseed 

 or flaxseed meal, or some cereal by- 

 product. They are usually sold at 

 exorbitant prices, ranging from 10 to 

 20 cents a pound. Neither the claims 

 made for their valuable properties, 

 nor the need of supplying tonics or 

 medicines with the food, will justify 

 the feeder in buying such materials. 



Wheat Concentrates 



The wheat berry has three distinct 

 coats, composed of tough, thiok-wall- 

 ed cells, which contain a large propor- 

 tion of fibre (much of which is indi- 

 gestible) and but little starch. Direct- 

 ly beneath the innermost seed coat is 

 a layer of cells, very rich in meat- 

 forming materials, called the aleurone 

 layer; ins.ide this is a soft, white part 

 of the berry, largely filled with starch 

 grains. These also contain meat- 

 forming substances, known as gluten. 

 Inside the inner starchy part of the 

 berry is contained the germ which 

 holds the embryo, or the seed-life of 

 the wheat plant. 



Now, as flour is being manufactured 

 the wheat is run through a series of 

 rollers, set at decreasinig ddstances 

 apart, so that the kernels are gradual- 

 ly broken into smaller and smaller 

 pieces. The fine, floury part is separ- 

 ated after each breaking, and the 

 tough outer oats are thus gradually 

 freed from the adhering flour, and 

 majke up the bran. 



Now, the millers' Idea is to oibtain 

 all the starch cells and gluten possible 

 from the berry and to clean out the 

 germ and the bran, including the first 

 layer, which would give an undesir- 

 able color to the flour, besides lower- 

 ing its keeping qualities. 



Bran Is rich in mineral matter, con- 

 taining 80 per cent, of the phosphates 

 of the wheat berry, hence ilt Is very 

 valualble to feed to young, growing 

 animals for the production of flesh and 

 ibone; being somewhat deficient in 

 lime it should be siupplemented with 

 hay or legumes, such as clover, alfalfa 

 and peas. It also has certain desirable 

 laxative properties. 



The wheat bran on our markets Is of 

 two kinds. The country mill kind, 

 made under conditions where machin- 

 ery is not perfect for the close separa- 

 tion of the starch cells from the seed 

 coats. The other Is the "fiaky bran," 

 produced in large city mills, where the 

 machinery is up-tcndate and close 

 working. The country prodiiot le, 



