GENERAL FEEDING 457 



necessity for feeding it in relatively larger quantities to 

 ruminants than to horses or swine is indicated in the rela- 

 tively greater capacity they have for storing it and also 

 for grinding large quantites of it in the process of rumina- 

 tion to prepare it for digestion. When young animals are 

 given too large a proportion relatively of concentrates dur- 

 ing the growing period, for want of sufficient distension in 

 the digestive organs, they are unable to take sufficiently 

 large quantities of food and especially of roughage, com- 

 patible with highest production. This is evidenced in the 

 want of largest attainable growth, even in swine that are 

 reared entirely on a concentrated grain ration in addition to 

 the food furnished by the dam during the nursing period. 

 Such distension is of highest relative importance in the 

 dairy cow, because of the necessity that requires her to 

 consume relatively large quantities of food in proportion 

 to her weight to properly sustain the milk flow. It is pos- 

 sible to sustain ruminants that are mature for considerable 

 period? without apparent injury, as was shown several 

 years ago in the experiment of Mr. Linus W. Miller of 

 New York, who successfully wintered during several sea- 

 sons dry dairy cows on a ration of corn meal and water. 

 But that such feeding is practical is of but little economic 

 importance, because of the greater cheapness relatively 

 of roughage. 



The greater plentifulness and subsequently greater 

 relative cheapness of roughage arises, first from the fact 

 that large quantities are furnished along with grain when 

 growing the latter; second, large quantities may be grown 

 and cheaply which furnish little or no grain relatively, as 

 in the case of corn fodder grown thickly; and third, the 

 entire grass and hay crops consist of roughage without 

 grain, except when grown to provide seed for sowing. 

 Roughage, therefore, will always furnish nutrients rela- 

 tively cheaper than concentrates with rare exceptions. But 

 this is in some degree offset by the higher relative diges- 

 tibility of concentrates. 



