LAXATIVENESS AND PALATABILITY OF FOODS 109 



a larger quantity of food is digested and the animal 

 benefits accordingly. 



The great aim of the feeder is to have all the foods 

 which he feeds to stock, palatable, and if they are 

 naturally deficient in flavour or aroma, he must add 

 treacle, locust beans, etc., to sweeten them, and aromatic 

 seeds, such as aniseed, fenugreek, etc., to give them an 

 attractive smell (see pp. 76 and 131). 



Economy. In the making up of rations for farm 

 live stock, the business farmer will keep in view the 

 possibility of substituting one class of concentrated 

 food for another (e.g. gram for beans), as long as the 

 substitute is cheaper L and is equally suitable so far as 

 the digestible constituents are concerned. Sometimes a 

 flavourless, but otherwise good, substitute for a con- 

 centrate may be utilised provided it is made attractive 

 by spicing. 



Again, hay or grain which is not very good through 

 being weathered during harvesting, may be utilised 

 for feeding purposes, provided it is only fed in small 

 quantities at a time after it has been mixed with other 

 wholesome foods. 



In certain cases, considerable saving might be 

 effected by chaffing the bulky fodders, and bruising any 

 grain that may be included in the ration. This, apart 

 from avoiding waste, reduces the amount of energy 

 required for masticating the food, thus leaving a greater 

 surplus of nutrients for production (see p. 140). 



1 For rough method of ascertaining whether foods are dear or 

 cheap, see p. 122. 



