8O FEEDING FARM ANIMALS 



words the normal standard of the bony framework may 

 in this way be increased to a certain limit. 



It is also possible to exercise a far-reaching influence 

 on the amount of bone in swine and other animals, where 

 corn is fed to excess, simply by selection, as may be observed 

 by the marked difference in the amount of bone possessed 

 by herds of swine in the corn belt, and it is reasonable to 

 suppose that the food fed to the dam during pregnancy 

 does exert a material influence in determining the possible 

 development of bone subsequently. When amply supplied 

 with bone making materials in the food, it cannot be other- 

 wise than that the whole bony framework will be larger 

 in the young animals at birth than if there had been a 

 deficiency of these, and that in consequence larger bone 

 development will result at maturity than would be possible 

 had the bony framework been opposite in character. This 

 relation, however, is probably more general than specific, 

 as animals small at birth do sometimes develop into large 

 animals at maturity, but the opposite of this is more com- 

 monly true. 



Development and waste energy. Under some condi- 

 tions of environment and management, acting independently 

 or in conjunction, there is an undue drain upon the energies 

 of the system as: (i) When searching for food; (2) in 

 resisting the influences of exposure, and (3) in making 

 up for the loss caused by disturbing influences from what- 

 soever source these may come. All such expenditure of 

 energy will result in loss in proportion to the extent to which 

 it exists. In some instances, it is loss of energy for pro- 

 ducing labor; in others, it means retirded increase of flesh 

 or actual loss of the same; and in yet rthers, low or even 

 reduced production in milk yields. 



Require a horse that is laboring to gather food from 

 pastures in the one instance that are low in production or 

 from rich pastures in the other but not allowed sufficient 

 time to gather such food, and the capacity to furnish labor 

 will be so far lessened. Require an animal to gather food 



