144 MAKING POULTRY PAY 



Dry matter is that portion of the fodder or feeding 

 stufif which is not water. Hence the feeding value 

 depends mainly upon the dry matter contained in the 

 stuff. This varies widely. 



Ash is what is left when the dry matter in a 

 feeding stuff is burned away. It consists chiefly of 

 lime, potash, magnesia, iron, chlorine and carbonic 

 acid, sulphuric acid and phosphoric acid, and is largely 

 used in making bone. 



Protein, or nitrogenous substances, is the name of 

 a group of substances containing about six per cent of 

 nitrogen. The foods rich ih protein are spoken of as 

 nitrogenous foods. They are also sometimes called 

 albuminoids, because containing albumen, or the same 

 substance found in the white of hens' eggs. Protein 

 furnishes the materials for the lean flesh, blood, skin, 

 muscles, tendons, nerves, hair, horns, wool, and the 

 casein and albumen of milk, etc. It is one of the most 

 important constituents of feeding stuffe. 



Fiber or woody matter, also called cellulose, is the 

 framework of plants, forming the walls of their cells. 

 It is the most indigestible constituent of feeding stuffs^ 

 and their nutritive value decreases as the proportion 

 of fiber increases. 



Nitrogen-free extract includes starch and sugar 

 mainly, also gums, organic acids, etc., and forms an 

 important part of all feeding stuffs, but especially of 

 most grains. The nitrogen-free extract and fiber are 

 usually classed together under the name of carbo- 

 hydrates, both being composed of carbon, oxygen and 

 hydrogen. The carbohydrates form the largest part of 

 all vegetable foods. They are either stored up as fat 

 or used in the animal system to produce heat and 

 energy. Therefore, carbohydrates are spoken of as 

 heat-producing substances, as against flesh-forming 



