AUTHOR'S METHOD OP FEEDING 195 



hence, by feeding three times, which will enable him to 

 eat still more, will produce no added advantage. 



Influence on Factor of Waste. The reason for the bet- 

 ter results obtained by the practice of feeding three times 

 per day seems to be the influence it exerts on the factor 

 of waste. When a pig is given his entire ration in only 

 two feeds per day, and this is fed in a digestible form such 

 as concentrated feeds, the pig, as usual, will digest the 

 entire quantity eaten within a few hours after the meal. 

 During the time the feed is being digested, the pig can 

 use the supplies of nutrients for his vital activities, such 

 as the production of energy, heat, tissue, etc., directly 

 from the digested material as it comes from the stomach. 

 After the feed has all been digested by the stomach, the 

 pig must, between meals, draw from the material that was 

 stored in the body for use at such a time to supply what 

 is necessary for maintenance, waste, energy and heat. 



The body is supplied with various means of storing the 

 digested material, as it comes from the stomach, for fu- 

 ture use. But the storage capacity for the different nutri- 

 ents is limited. This is especially true of protein. The 

 animal apparently can store but a small quantity of this. 

 If more is digested at one time than can be taken care of 

 by direct use and by storage, it apparently is excreted, 

 setting up largely what is called the factor of waste. This 

 not only results in a loss of the excess, but the animal 

 apparently has a tendency to waste that quantity indefi- 

 nitely thereafter, which becomes a very important factor 

 when it is considered that the pig naturally eats less feed 

 as he grows older. This allows the factor of waste to 

 grow relatively more important as time progresses. It 

 also takes considerable energy to excrete the waste, which 

 energy might otherwise be used for profitable produc- 



