4 FEEDS AND FEEDING, ABRIDGED 



has advanced in price. No less marked has been the increase in the 

 cost of labor and of feeding stuffs. But the price of live-stock prod- 

 ucts has also advanced, so that satisfactory profits may still be real- 

 ized. However, present conditions call for a more intelligent type of 

 stock farming than has ruled in the past. Good profits are possible 

 only when the operations are planned with good judgment, and there 

 is a thoro appreciation of the requirements of the various classes of 

 animals for food and care. 



In the pioneer days of our country the feeds commonly used for live 

 stock were restricted to the grains and forages grown on the farm. 

 Knowledge of the value of these farm-grown products is not now suf- 

 ficient for intelligent feeding. The problem is complicated by the 

 host of by-products resulting from the manufacture of articles of 

 human food. Many of these are valuable and economical supple- 

 ments to the feeds raised on the farm. However, such products vary 

 considerably in price and even more markedly in nutritive value. 

 Most economical feeding is therefore possible only when the relative 

 value of these products compared with each other and with the farm- 

 grown crops is clearly understood. 



In learning of feeds and of feeding we must first consider the plant 

 substances which provide the nourishment for farm animals and study 

 how they are built up in the living plant. Next we should learn how 

 the food consumed by animals is digested and utilized within the body 

 for the production of meat, milk, work, or wool, and should also study 

 the requirements of each class of animals for food, water, shelter, and 

 exercise. Only then are we in a position to understand the value and 

 merits for each of the farm animals of the many different feeds, and 

 finally to consider the principles of care and management, the con- 

 stant observance of which is essential to the highest success in animal 

 husbandry. 



