INTRODUCTION. 17 



information of the most accurate farmers, and bases his de- 

 ductions largely upon the facts which they have established. 



Our farm animals are kept with a view to use or profit. 

 It is, therefore, of the highest importance that the food 

 consumed should produce the best result in growth or 

 product. 



To aid the reader in understanding the value of the 

 different foods, the chemical constituents of each is given 

 from analyses by the best chemists of this country and 

 Europe ; and added to this, all the most reliable experiments 

 in feeding, both in this country and England, together 

 with the German experiments to determine the digestibility 

 and nutritive value of the ingredients in each food com- 

 monly employed in growing and fattening animals, are 

 given and explained. These German experiments are the 

 most important contribution to the science of feeding 

 during the last quarter of a century. And these German 

 tables, in connection with the numerous feeding trials given 

 for each class of stock, it is hoped will enable the practical 

 feeder to fully comprehend the comparative and economical 

 value of each class of foods he desires to employ. 



Animal physiology is so far treated and illustrated as to 

 give a general insight into the process of digestion in the 

 different classes of farm stock ; and the principles of 

 animal hygiene so far considered as to suggest the general 

 mode of preventive treatment to maintain the health of 

 animals. 



As shelter is an important item in the economical man- 

 agement of stock in many of our states, the subject of the 

 construction of barns and basement stables, for all purposes 

 of stock-keeping, is discussed and illustrated. 



The new system of ensilage appears to have so many 

 important advantages in preserving all the succulent quali- 

 ties and digestibility of the grasses and leguminous plants, 

 and to render practical the application of the soiling system 



