PRINCIPLES OF HORSE FEEDING 329 



amount of digestible material, is before the nutrients 

 have been transferred from the stock to the seed. The 

 seeds are so small and hard that they are not digested 

 by the animal. Hence, hay that is cut when ripe is not 

 so digestible as that cut before the seeds ripen, and while 

 the food materials are yet in the growing parts. In addi- 

 tion, the riper the hay the more fiber it contains, and this 

 further reduces the digestibility of the hay. Hay cured 

 under adverse conditions, such as exposure to rain, when 

 leaching occurs, loses in digestibility. 



Grinding certain kinds of food promotes digestion by 

 increasing the surface exposed to the action of the diges- 

 tive juices. This applies especially to small hard grains, 

 as when such grains are fed whole, many pass through 

 the digestive tract entire. Further, grinding saves the 

 animal the energy of crushing the grain. Wetting, 

 steaming, cooking, and like processes, are used with the 

 several foods preparatory to feeding, with the view of 

 rendering them more acceptable to the animal. When 

 increased efficiency occurs, it is due to more complete 

 digestion rather than to added nutritive value. 



KINDS OF RATIONS 



A ration may be defined as the quantity of food that 

 will be consumed by an animal weighing i,ooo pounds 

 in 24 hours. In forming a ration there are a number of 

 factors to be considered, chief of which are the amount 

 of dry matter required, the digestibility of the ration, the 

 nutritive ratio, the variety in the ration, the suitability of 

 the foods, and the cost of the ration. Rations are com- 

 monly divided into two general classes according to the 

 conditions ; thus we have rations for maintenance and 

 rations for production. 



Maintenance rations. — The food required to meet the 

 needs of a resting animal without lo«s or gain in body 

 substance is called a maintenance ration. This includes 



