32 



CONKEY'S STOCK BOOK 



CORN Corn is easily the king of all grains. It is the great energizing, 

 heat-giving, fattening food for farm animals. But, it does lack 

 material for bone and muscle; (compare the table and see how low it is 

 in crude protein and mineral matter). Animals like it because of the rich, 

 palatable oil, which makes it so agreeable after it is masticated. But this 

 oil becomes rancid after corn is ground to meal; so it should be ground 

 only as needed, and will then never be musty or stale, but will be properly 

 relished by the animals. 



OATS Oats are next to corn in the amount grown in this country. They 

 are the safest of all feeds for horses valuable also for the dairy 

 cow; but oats are high priced. However, whatever the price, be sure you 

 know what you are buying, and run over carefully the following points of 

 difference in oats: 



Good Oats. Inferior Oats New Oats. 



Clean Dirty Shiny husks 



Even size Uneven size Earthy smell 



Short Small Sweet, milky taste 



Plump Flat Soft 



Heavy Light Bearded 



Hard Soft Down-covered kernel Husks drawn tight 



Thin-skinned Coarse-skinned Ends of grain soft Ends of grain sharp 

 Dry Mouldy Flour juicy Flour dry 



Old Oats. 

 No lustre 

 Free from odor 

 Bitter taste 

 Hard 

 Beards nibbed off 



CRUSHED OR 

 BRUISED OATS 



Give good oats always, and oats of the proper age 

 where possible. It is a very important matter that 

 they should be crushed for all horses. Crushed oats 



are a great benefit to any horse. They are eaten better if the animal is 

 delicate and greediness becomes a matter of lesser importance. The grain 

 digests better and goes farther as a nutrient food. It will save considerable 



Cow Pea 



Field Pea 



Soy Bean 



waste; and the process of going through the crusher separates a lot of 

 dirt that, even in "clean" oats, will surprise you. Crushing oats assists 

 mastication and digestion; and the grain does not pass whole through the 

 stomach and bowels undigested, as is often noticed when whole oats are 

 fed. Crushed oats will furnish one-third more nutriment, measure for 

 measure, than whole oats. 



How often are oats or hay fed intelligently? How often does the 

 ordinary stableman know whether they are good, bad, or indifferent? The 



