70 rRINCIPLES OF FEEDING FARM ANIMALS 



7 per cent, and of wheat 10 per cent. In a test with sheep 

 unground oats were digested as completely as ground oats. 

 On the other hand, Evvard,^ at the low^a Station, found that 

 60-pound pigs digested ear corn, shelled corn, and ground 

 corn equally w^ell. In case of 200-pound hogs there was a 

 very shght difference in favor of grinding or grinding and 

 soaking. In general, however, it is not advisable from an 

 economic standpoint to grind corn and oats if the cost of 

 grinding amounts to more than ten per cent of the value of 

 the feed. In the case of fattening cattle which are followed 

 by hogs, it is doubtful if it is ever profitable to grind the corn. 

 Grain never should be ground for sheep except in the case of 

 young lambs. In the case of animals with defective teeth, 

 very young animals, horses at hard work, and dairy cows, 

 it may be advantageous to grind the feed, providing the cost 

 of grinding is not too great. Wheat, barley, rye, and emmer 

 should be ground, crushed, or rolled for all animals except 

 sheep. 



Frequency of Feeding and Watering. — Within reason- 

 able hmits, the frequency of feeding has no effect upon 

 digestibiUty. The same is true of the frequency of watering. 



Patent Stock Foods. — The advertisements of most 

 patent or proprietary stock foods '' guarantee " that their 

 use will cause the animal to digest considerably more of its 

 ration and derive much more benefit therefrom. Inasmuch 

 as patent stock foods usually consist of a mixture of common 

 feedingstuffs, as bran, oil meal, ground oat hulls, and ground 

 chaff, with a small quantity of salt and drugs, it is difficult 

 to see how this can be so. 



Michael and Kennedy, at the Iowa Experiment Station,^ 



1 Unpublished data. 2 gui. 113. 



