1184 THE PEOPLE'S FARM AND STOCK CYCLOPEDIA. 



The above calculation is not strictly accurate, for the reason 

 that the increase in quantity of food supplied would cause an 

 increase in the amount which must be consumed for the pro- 

 duction of digestive energy ; but it is sufficiently near the truth 

 to demonstrate the principle, and to show that, to secure the 

 best results in feeding, not only must the food of support be 

 reduced to the lowest point, but the food supplied must be in- 

 creased to the highest point. 



The total amount of food that can be supplied to an animal 

 is limited by that animal's power to eat and digest it. If the 

 food is coarse and bulky, requiring a large quantity of food to 

 contain a small amount of nutriment, the animal can not take a 

 sufficient quantity to accomplish the best results. If the food 

 is distasteful to the animal it will not take enough to accomplish 

 the best results. 



Therefore, to secure such an increase in the quantity of food 

 taken by the animal as will secure the largest proportion of 

 food of profit compared with the food of support, the animal 

 must be liberally fed ; the food must be in as concentrated a 

 form as is consistent with the health of the animal; the food 

 must be agreeable to the animal, so as to cause it to desire 

 to eat all that it can. 



Proper Adjustment of Food. There has been a popu- 

 lar and a supposed-to-be scientific idea that food was valuable 

 in exact proportion to the amount of nitrogenous matters it con- 

 tains. This is only partially true. 



A certain amount of nitrogenous matter is essential in a 

 food, and, if it does not contain this, the excess of carbonaceous 

 matter will be wasted, To illustrate : Suppose a pig requires a 

 diet with an albuminoid ratio of 1 to 7; that is, containing one 

 pound of albuminoids to every seven pounds of carbohydrates, 

 or their equivalents in fat; and suppose this pig is supplied 

 with food containing but one pound of albuminoids to every 

 fourteen pounds of carbohydrates. The extra seven pounds of 

 carbohydrates will be rejected, and the pig will get no more 

 benefit from the one pound of albuminoids and fourteen pounds 

 of carbohydrates than he would have obtained from one pound 



