THE COMPOSITION OF FEEDING STUFFS 7 
cent; root crops, beet pulp, and wet brewers’ grains, 80 to 90 per 
cent; in case of turnips and some vegetables, as pumpkins, the 
water content may reach even 93 to 95 per cent (Fig. 1). 
A knowledge of the amount of water in a feeding stuff is im- 
portant, both because its value for the nutrition of farm animals 
is dependent thereon and because its keeping quality is affected 
thereby. An excessive water content renders plant materials liable 
to decomposition through the growth of bacteria and molds. 
Water is the vehicle by which nutrients in both plants and ani- 
mals are transported from one part to another. Plants absorb it 
from the soil through their roots, and with it take up mineral 
matter held in solution in the soil water. The quantity of water 
9 10 20 3040 so 66070 80 =690—s*100 
MANGELS 
SKIM MILK 
TURNIPS 
cows’ MILK 
RAPE 
PASTURE GRASS 
GREEN CORN 
GREEN CLOVER 
CORN STALKS 
CLOVER HAY 
TIMOTHY HAY 
WHEAT BRAN 
INDIAN CORN 
OIL MEAL 
ORIED BEET PULP 
Fia. 1.—Water in common feeding stuffs, in per cent. 
thus taken up by plants is very large, and this is partly retained 
in the cells and the sap of the plants, and partly again evaporated 
through the leaves. For every pound of dry substance in the plant 
it has been found that about 400 pounds of water are required, on 
the average, the exact figure varying from below 300 to over 1000 
pounds, according to the character of the soil and the crop. 
Dry Substance.—The components of the dry substance of 
plants considered in the following pages are: Mineral matter or ash, 
protein, fat, nitrogen- -free extract, and fiber. 
Mineral matter in plants is derived from the soil through the 
root system. This is the portion of the plants which remains as 
ashes after combustion. It is composed of the elements already 
given and, in addition, of many elements that happen to be present 
