PRINCIPLES OF HORSE FEEDING 



325 



Ash. — Mineral matter is also present in all common 

 foods, although it forms but a small part, corn containing 

 only 1.5% per cent, while alfalfa, one of the highest, con- 

 tains only 10%. Most foods, however, contain sufficient 

 ash to meet the needs of the animal, corn and some pre- 

 pared foods being the only exceptions. Young, growing 

 animals require more ash than mature ones. 



Protein. — Of the three nutrients, the protein is con- 

 sidered to be the most important. This is because pro- 



FIG. 152.— PERCHERON STALLION "HYSLOPE" 



tein is essential to the animal, the only source of animal 

 protein being the protein of the food, and because the 

 percentage of protein in most foods is relatively small. 

 Because of the importance of protein, the value of the 

 food depends very largely upon the amount of this con- 

 stituent that it contains. While the percentage of 

 digestible protein in most foods is comparatively low, it 



