GRASS AND HAY 175 



farmers grow kinds of hay which at present are not in greatest de- 

 mand in the market. One year there is more straight clover and 

 clover-mixed hay sent to the market than usual, and dealers some- 

 times have difficulty in getting enough timothy hay to supply their 

 trade. It would seem from these observations that there is less tim- 

 othy hay and more clover being grown each year, and the reasons 

 just given show why the timothy area is decreasing. 



Even though the greatest demand is for timothy, the average 

 feeder will not suffer in any way if he is not able to get it, because 

 there are other kinds of hay that will not only take the place of tim- 

 othy but prove a better and more economical feed. Under ordinary 

 conditions the shipper and the receiver make just as much money by 

 handling one kind of hay as another, so that it is really better for all 

 concerned if there is a smaller quantity of timothy hay produced 

 than formerly. It is necessary, however, for the feeder to under- 

 stand the feeding value of the different kinds of hay before there 

 can be any great change in the demand for these other kinds, for it 

 is the feeder who makes the price of hay in the market. In order to 

 feed intelligently it is necessary to consider the functions of the 

 nutritive substances. 



Nutritive Substances in Hay. The nutritive substances in hay 

 or feed may be divided into two classes flesh formers and fuel or 

 energy producing substances. When the proper amount of these 

 two classes of substances is fed the ration is said to be balanced. If 

 an unbalanced ration is fed, as one containing more fuel or energy 

 producing substances than are needed and less flesh-forming ma- 

 terial, the ration is partially wasted, and such unwise feeding will 

 not bring as good results as the feeding of the same amount of a bal- 

 anced ration. Each class of substances has different offices to per- 

 form in the body. If not enough flesh-forming substance is fed, the 

 body suffers, because it is absolutely necessary to keep the body in 

 good condition. Thousands of horses are fed all they can eat, yet 

 are poorly nourished because the food contains little except fuel sub- 

 stances. The flesh-forming substances are used to replace the waste 

 that goes on in all living tissue. Energy-producing substances are 

 used to furnish the energy required for the nervous and muscular 

 activities of the body, and when fed in excess they may to a certain 

 extent be stored up in the form of fat for use later, when needed for 

 either energy or heat. 



One of the most important substances in any foodstuff is pro- 

 tein. All nutritive substances which contain nitrogen are classed 

 under the general term of protein. Protein is composed of nitrogen, 

 carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, sulphur, and phosphorus. Protein is the 

 substance which builds up the body. The muscles, tendons, liga- 

 ments, connective tissues, skin, hair, hoofs, part of the bone and in 

 fact every part of the body but fat are made up of protein, together 

 with mineral matter and water. 



The next important class of substances is the carbohydrates, 

 which contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, but no nitrogen, sul- 

 phur, or phosphorus; they include starch, sugars, etc. These are 



