April, 1912J FEEDING-STUFFS \1 



is said about the economy of buying raw materials for the 

 home-mixing of fertilizers. However much may be said 

 in favor of such a practice, the saving is small when com- 

 pared to the aggregate losses encountered in the careless 

 purchase of feeds. Ovir consumers are paying almost as 

 much for the poor feeds as for the good ones. Freight, 

 commissions, and overhead charges tend to bring the sell- 

 ing price of low-grade feeds near the selling price of 

 better feeds. These factors are just as important in their 

 bearing on the cost of feeding-stuffs as on the cost of 

 fertilizers. Another year it is hoped that a determination 

 of the crude fibre and also a microscopical examination 

 of all compounded feeds can be made. In the case of 

 compounded feeds, the microscopical examination is as 

 important as the determinations of fat and protein. 



The ultimate value of a feeding-stuff depends on that 

 portion of it which the animal can digest and use to pro- 

 mote growth, to form heat and energy and to provide 

 for the natural waste in the body. It is obvious, there- 

 fore, that the value of a feed depends upon its proper use. 

 Care and intelligence should be exercised in the use of 

 concentrates. Otherwise the animal receives an unbal- 

 anced ration and a portion of the feed passes through the 

 system in an undigested condition and therefore un- 

 assimilated and is wasted. Concentrates should be fed 

 in connection with roughage in order to obtain the best 

 results. Not all of the best feeding-stuffs can be digested 

 and t^ken into the body of the animal. A portion passes 

 through the alimentary canal as waste. The amount which 

 can be digested and assimilated is known as digestible 

 portion and is generally expressed in percentage of di- 

 gestible nutrients. The percentage of digestible nutrients 

 varies with the different feeding-stuffs. When high-grade 

 products are properly fed, a large percentage of the pro- 

 teins and carbohydrates are digestible. 



As a matter of reference and a means of getting at the 



