128 THE BUSINESS OF DAIRYING 



the composition of animals namely, water, ash, 

 protein and fat are also found in the food they con- 

 sume, and in addition the food of herbivorous ani- 

 mals contains a class called carbohydrates, which in- 

 cludes cellulose, woody tissue, starch, sugar, gums, 

 etc. While the individual substances which com- 

 prise the groups when they are of vegetable origin, 

 are quite different from those in the animal body, 

 these differences are not important in this considera- 

 tion. In other words, water, ash and true fat are 

 quite alike, whether found in plants or animals. 



Water is a constituent of all food stuffs, however 

 dry they may seem. The amount may be only 8 to 

 15 pounds per 100 pounds of material, as in hay, 

 straw or grain, but in green corn fodder or silage 

 it amounts to 75 to 80 pounds, and in some roots 

 to 90 pounds. This water, although it may add to 

 the palatability of food, is of no more benefit to the 

 animal than the water in the food it drinks. Because 

 of the variation in the proportion of water, the com- 

 parisons of foods are usually made on the dry or 

 water-free basis, which shows the percentage of 

 food ingredients in the dry matter. 



Ash. As already stated, this is what is left after 

 burning, and consists of lime, magnesia, potash, 

 soda, and various other compounds, and is used 

 largely in making bone. Ordinary combinations of 

 feeding stuffs contain an abundant supply of mineral 

 matter for the requirements of the animal, so it is 

 not given important consideration, only as far as it 

 has a bearing upon the mineral elements of fertility 

 in the manure. 



