FEEDING DAIRY CATTLE 95 



83. Water. All feeds, even those apparently dry, like 

 con or hay, contain a portion of water varying from 10 to 

 15 per cent. Roots, such as beets and turnips, contain about 

 90 ]>er cent of water. The water in the feed eaten serves 

 the same purpose as ordinary water consumed by the animals. 



84. Ash. This is the mineral part of the plant substance 

 remaining after the material is burned. It makes up the 

 gm ter part of the bone, and is a necessary part of milk and 

 of loan meat. The ash elements that are most likely to 

 be deficient are common salt, phosphorus, and calcium. 



85. Protein. All protein compounds contain nitrogen. 

 They serve the purpose of building up tissue in the body, 

 sucli as muscle and skin, and constitute the curd of milk. 

 Lean meat and the white of an egg are familiar examples 

 of nearly pure protein. All feeds contain more or less pro- 

 tein. Among hays, clover, alfalfa, cowpea, and soybean 

 contain the largest amounts. Among the common concen- 

 trates linseed meal, cottonseed meal, and wheat bran con- 

 tain relatively large quantities. A certain amount of protein 

 is indispensable in a ration, as nothing else can be substituted 

 for it by the animal. 



86. Crude Fiber. This is the woody part of the plant, 

 which is the least digestible. The amount of this constitu- 

 ent increases with the age of the plant, and is large in feeds 

 like hays and corn stover, and small in concentrates like 

 corn and linseed meal. 



87. Nitrogen-free Extract. This term includes the sugars, 

 starches, and other carbohydrates that are much like crude 

 fiber in composition, but are much more digestible. 



88. Fat or Ether Extract. That part of the foodstuff 

 that will dissolve in ether is called ether extract. It con- 

 sists mostly of fats, and is usually so called although it 



