766 THE FARMERS HANDBOOK. 



animals it may have injurious effects on the health. The selection of 

 food by the plant takes place, for the most part, by means of the roots, and 

 before it enters the plant itself; whereas, with animals, the assimilation 

 of the nutritive material takes place after the food has been swallowed, and 

 the indigestible material has to be got rid of, and if this is excessive in 

 amount, discomfort and oven disease result. Indigestion, the " blowing " 

 of cattle, the formation of fibre balls in the stomach, are all instances in 

 point. 



Nature of Food Required. 



It is also quite clear that not only do different animals require different 

 foods, but that the same animal must be fed differently according to the 

 object in view in feeding. The simplest problem, and the one that forms 

 the basis of all dietaries, is what is called the maintenance diet, that is to 

 say, the amount of food necessary to keep the animal in good health, and to 

 meet daily requirements and repair the waste of tissue. And without going 

 too much into technicalities, it may be laid down that a food must contain 

 the following ingredients: — 



(1) Water; 



(2) Mineral matter; 



(3) Fat or oil; 



(4) Carbohydrates (substances such as starch and sugar) ; 



(5) Flesh-forming material, or albuminoids (substances such as gluten) 



which contain nitrogen. 



Just as the crop requires all the nourishing constituents to be present for 

 its proper growth, and fails if one be absent, so the animal will starve on 

 a diet composed exclusively of, , say, carbohydrates (starchy and sugary foods) 

 if the nitrogenous materials are absent. 



The amount of albuminoid material especially is of the highest import- 

 ance in the feeding of stock, as it is the only source of supply of the nitro- 

 genous material which is essential to the animal, and it has been found that 

 the amounts of -albuminoid and non-nitrogenous material in the food must 

 bear a definite ratio to one another, and that if a food contain too large a 

 proportion of carbohydrates or of albuminoids the result is equally disas- 

 trous. This ratio differs with different animals, and even with the same 

 animal when used for different purposes. For example, a horse doing 

 heavy draught work requires a relatively larger proportion of albuminoids 

 in its food than one doing light work. 



How the Food is Supplied by Plants and Fodders. 



Let us briefly discuss the ingredients present in plants and fodders, and 

 see what part they play in providing food for animals. All plants and 

 fodders contain the following ingredients : — 



Water. — The presence of water makes the food more succulent and pala- 

 table. It also renders it more easy of digestion. It takes the place of 

 drinking water to some extent, and animals fed on watery food will require 

 less to drink. 



Mineral matier comprises the salts, such as common salt, lime com- 

 pounds, phosphates, and other mineral saline substances which are essential 

 for the food of animals. It is from this part of its food that the animal 

 derives the material to build up its bones, which are largely composed of 

 phosphate and carbonate of lime. All parts of the animal body contain a 

 certain proportion of mineral ingredients, and the amounts of these in the 



