They are composed of six distinct groups of substances : water, 

 ash, cellulose, fat, protein and non-nitrogenous extract matter. 



Water: The various green fodders, contain from 75 to 85 per 

 cent of water, the hays and straws 12 to 16 percent, and the different 

 by-products and grains from 8 to 15 per cent. 



Crude Ash is the mineral ingredient of the plant or seed. It 

 will remain behind as ashes should the plant be burned. These 

 ashes consist of lime, potash, soda, magnesia, iron, phosphoric acid 

 and sulphuric acid. 



Crude Celhdose : This is the coarse or woody part of the plant. 

 It may be called the plant's framework. It composes fully one-third 

 of the straws aud hays, but is present only to a limited extent in the 

 various grains. Cows, oxen and sheep have a digestive tract sO' 

 arranged, as to be able to consume and digest large quantities of 

 cellulose. Its elementary composition is carbon, oxygen and 

 hydrogen. 



Crude Fat: By crude fat is meant not only the various fats and 

 oils found in different feeds, but also the waxes, coloring matter,, 

 etc. It has also been termed ether extract, because it represents 

 that portion of the plant soluble in ether. In elementary composi- 

 tion it corresponds to animal fat. 



Crude Protein : This is a general name for all the nitrogenous 

 matters of the plant. It corresponds to the lean meat in the animal, 

 and might be termed "vegetable meat." It has the same elementary 

 composition as animal flesh and other things being equal it is the most 

 valuable part of the plant. 



Extract matter : It consists of sugar, starch and gums, and is- 

 made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. 



Carbohydrates : The cellulose and the extract matter have practi- 

 cally the same function as sources of nutrition, and collectively they 

 are termed carbohydrates. 



The A-sh while a necessary ingredient of all feeds is so generally 

 present as not to require any special consideration, so that in com- 

 pounding fodder rations we really have to do with only three 

 groups, Protein, Fat and Carbohydrates. 



Nutritive Ratio : The numerical relation which the protein of a 

 feed or feed combination bears to the carbohydrates (and fat reduced 

 to carbohydrates) is termed \i?, nutritive ratio. Fat is multiplied by 

 2^ to convert it into carbohydrates, because it furnishes 2^ times as 

 much heat as the latter. If a ton of hay contains 96 lbs. digestible 



