FEEDING ANIMALS 325 



Animals when heavily fed digest their feed less completely 

 than when fed a smaller amount. Rations containing too large 

 a proportion of starch or too small a proportion of protein are 

 often less completely digested than are those which are properly 

 balanced. Thus the addition of cottonseed meal or linseed meal 

 to a ration of corn and corn stover, or of corn and timothy hay, 

 will increase the digestibility of the entire ration. 



420. Feed and water. The animal body is composed of water, 

 protein, fat, ash, and a very small amount of carbohydrates. The 

 plants upon which the animal feeds are made up of water, pro- 

 tein, fat, ash, and a large proportion of carbohydrates. When 

 animals are feeding upon plants containing much water, as green 

 grass, roots, or silage, 



they drink less water 

 than when feeding upon 

 dry feed, like hay and 

 grain. It is of the utmost 

 importance that the ani- 

 mal have plenty of pure, Fi& ^ Good protein feed . g necessaiy to 



fresh water. Animals make meat of this fine quality 



can live longer without 



food than without water. Animals that are growing or fattening 

 rapidly, or that are producing large quantities of milk, or that 

 are hard at work, especially need large amounts of water and 

 need it often. 



421. Protein. Protein is necessary in building the vital work- 

 ing organs of the body, in building the muscles, bones, skin, horn, 

 hoofs, hair, and wool, and also in the production of blood, egg, and 

 milk. Without protein animals cannot even be maintained 

 much less grown. Protein is the most expensive of our food con- 

 stituents and should be used only for those purposes for which a 

 cheaper substitute cannot be found. The amount of protein to 

 be given an animal will be determined by what the animal is 

 doing (Fig. 163). If the animal is merely being maintained, as 

 in the case of idle mature stock, only the amount of protein re- 

 quired to restore the daily waste of body tissue is needed. If the 



