Nutrition of the Animal Body 245 



receive special attention in this respect. Salt aids diges- 

 tion, improves the appetite, and lessens the danger 

 from disease. Small quantities of salt in the feed will 

 often stimulate the appetite of sick animals and acts 

 as a good tonic. 



342. Preparations of Feeds. The extent to which 

 different feeds should be prepared by grinding, shred- 

 ding, soaking, cooking, etc., before feeding is, in many 

 cases, an open question. When grain is fed to ruminants 

 it is best to have it milled, but in other cases it is fre- 

 quently without advantages, except in the case of kaffir 

 corn. Kaffir corn should be ground for all farm stock. 



343. Racial Peculiarities are observed in the way 

 different breeds dispose of the feed they consume above 

 that required for maintenance. This is important. The 

 manner in which an animal disposes of the feed above 

 that required for maintenance governs the profit or 

 loss in animal husbandry. It is this extra quantity of 

 feed that makes flesh, milk, eggs, or performs work. 

 If the maintenance ration be assumed to be eight pounds 

 of dry matter and the feed contains twenty-five pounds, 

 what becomes of the additional seventeen pounds 

 of feed? The Hereford steer would deposit it in the 

 loin steaks and thick quarters. The animals would 

 gain in weight. The dairy cow would probably not gain 

 in weight, but use it in making the fat, sugar and curd 

 of milk. An animal is valuable for its ability to trans- 

 form large quantities of crude farm feeds into special 

 products, such as valuable cuts of meat, milk, wool, 

 etc., or to perform labor. 



344. Individual Peculiarities are also to be noted. 

 The average dairy cow will profitably use about six 

 pounds of feed above the maintenance ration. Many 



