68 FEEDING FARM ANIMALS 



such increase for the time being as would result from 

 feeding grass and a larger proportion of concentrated grain 

 foods. Similarly, the production of a dairy cow will be 

 less when fed on good clover hay alone, than when fed on 

 clover hay and a certain allowance of suitable concentrated 

 foods, but neither the grass sufficiently advanced in growth 

 nor the clover hay will derange digestion in bovines how- 

 soever liberally fed. 



It is not so, however, with concentrated foods. At a 

 comparatively early age, in fact but a few months from 

 the birth period, a calf will partake of rye, barley or corn 

 meal so freely if allowed to, that digestion becomes de- 

 ranged. A strain is put on its machinery which it cannot 

 bear, and it becomes impaired to the extent of the excess 

 of the ill balance in the food nutrients given. Thus it is, 

 that young animals being fitted for show purposes fre- 

 quently break down under the heavy tax put upon their 

 digestive capacity, and so have to be laid aside. Many an 

 animal possessed of the requisites that would have enabled 

 it to win champion honors with suitable feeding, has thus 

 been forever unfitted for entering the show ring. 



The hazard from feeding concentrated foods to excess 

 with young animals varies with the kind of the concentrate 

 and with the age at which it is fed. The proneness of ani- 

 mals to consume concentrated foods in excess when the 

 opportunity is present would seem to increase with ad- 

 vancing age. Calves quite young are not much liable to 

 partake of such foods greatly in excess of what will benefit 

 them, but it is entirely different a few months later. Of 

 all the concentrated grain foods fed, oats is the safest by 

 far for horses, mules, cattle and sheep, when fed in un- 

 measured quantities. This is owing to the relatively happy 

 balance between the nutrients and to the suitable bulk rela- 

 tion that exists between the hull and kernel portion of this 

 grain. Other grain foods, such as corn, rye, and barley 

 fed thus freely, puts a tax upon the digestive processes 

 which they are unable to bear, gives the assimilative powers 



