FEEDING YOUNG ANIMALS. 141 



ratio. As we have seen in a former chapter, these two 

 classes of elements are necessary to the maintenance of ani- 

 mal life. The nutritive ratio signifies the ratio of digesti- 

 ble albuminoids to digestible carbo-hydrates. The carbo- 

 hydrates are starch, gum, sugar, etc. Fat or oil is also a 

 carbo-hydrate, but it is estimated as having a heat-produc- 

 ing and nutritive power 2.4 times as great as ordinary 

 carbo-hydrates. In finding the nutritive ratio of a food, 

 then, the digestible fat, multiplied by 2.4, is added to the 

 digestible carbo-hydrates, and this sum divided by the 

 digestible albuminoids. 



If we take the above analysis of cow's milk, as an exam- 

 ple (milk being in solution, it is all digestible), fat is 3.80, 

 this multiplied by 2.4 gives 9.12, and this added to the 

 milk sugar, 4.55, makes 13.67 as the carbo-hydrates of 

 milk, and this divided by the caseine or albuminoids, 4.05 

 the result is 3.37 as the nutritive ratio of milk, read 1 : 

 3.37 that is, milk has 1 of albuminoids to 3.37 of carbo- 

 hydrates. 



The above table gives the digestible nutrients and the 

 nutritive ratio of each of the foods named. It will be seen, 

 that of all the foods in the table, oats, peas, beans, flax-seed, 

 oil-cake, wheat-bran, rye-bran, millet and middlings come 

 the nearest to milk in relative proportions of muscle- 

 forming and heat and fat-producing elements. And if we 

 examine, also, the mineral elements in these different foods 

 which build up the frame, we shall also find flax-seed, oil- 

 cake, peas, beans, oats and bran the richest in phosphate of 

 lime and magnesia, and the other mineral elements neces- 

 sary in the animal economy. Indian corn has only 2.1 per 

 cent, of ash, and this not rich in phosphate of lime, etc. 

 It has less of mineral constituents required by the growing 

 animal than barley or oats the former having 2.6 per cent. 

 and the latter 3 per cent. We desire to direct attention to 

 corn, as an improper food to be given, alone, to young 



