PRINCIPLES OP STOCK FEEDING 189 



mal body, supposing, of course, that all the manure, 

 including the urine, will be returned to the land. In fix- 

 ing on the crops to be raised and the feeds to be bought, 

 therefore, the intelligent farmer has in mind (1) avail- 

 ability for the purpose desired (depending largely on 

 composition and digestibility) and (2) fertilizer value. 



Water and Dry Matter. — All food-stuffs contain a 

 considerable proportion of water. The portion remain- 

 ing is included under the general term "dry matter." 

 A proper ration for a farm animal contains a quantity 

 of dry substance which is practically uniform for ani- 

 mals of the same species, type, age, and condition. 



Because water is abundant in plant and animal life, 

 we should not conclude that it is valueless. On the other 

 hand, it is absolutely essential. The leading functions 

 of water as related to animal life are to act as a solvent 

 and distributor of other compounds, and to give elas- 

 ticity and firmness to animal tissues. Investigations as 

 to the percentage of water in animal bodies under nor- 

 mal conditions have shown that usually about 50 per 

 cent of the total weight of an animal is water, the per- 

 centage varying with the age, condition, and species of 

 animal. 



Ash and Organic Matter. — The dry matter of a food 

 is subdivided into ash (inorganic, or mineral compo- 

 nents) and organic matter. The mineral substance is 

 called "ash" because it alone remains when the organic 

 matter is driven off by burning. 



It will be observed that the constituent in plants and 

 animals containing the greatest number of chemical ele- 

 ments is ash, and yet ash seldom constitutes more than 

 one-twentieth of the animal or plant. Clover hay con- 

 tains a relatively high percentage of ash, while corn 

 yields only a small amount. In the former case there 

 are about 6.2 pounds and in the latter 1.5 pounds of ash 

 per hundredweight. While the relative amount of ash 



