Palatableness and Adaptability of Ration 281 



teaches that when cows or animals of any other class 

 do not like their food, they "do not do well." Per- 

 sons sometimes claim that they have contracted dys- 

 pepsia by eating food which is not relished, even food 

 that is nutritious and well cooked, and which would 

 be entirely satisfactory to other individuals. The situ- 

 ation is still worse when the food is undesirable both 

 as to texture and flavor. We have reason to believe 

 that animals are susceptible to the same influences as 

 man, though perhaps not to the same extent. An ani- 

 mal is more than a machine, and is possessed of a 

 nervous organism, the existence of which should never 

 be ignored. 



One way of stimulating an animal's appetite is to 

 feed a variety of materials. Continuous feeding on a 

 single coarse food and one grain is not conducive to 

 the best results. The various available fodders and 

 grains should be so combined as to allow the feeding 

 of all of them throughout the season and avoid the 

 exclusive use of one or two kinds for any extended 

 period of time. The skilful feeder, then, will not fail 

 to make the ration as palatable as possible, and will 

 always consider the idiosyncrasies of appetite of each 

 animal. 



2. The ration must be adapted to the species. This 

 is obvious as relates to quantity, but is equally true of 

 the kinds of materials. For instance, both poultry and 

 swine generally eat cottonseed meal with reluctance 

 and with danger to health. Wheat bran is less de- 

 sirable for swine than for other species. The horse 

 and the hog are not adapted to rough fodder as are 



