42 MANUAL OF FARM ANIMALS 



particularly true of the dairy cow, which, in addition to the 

 water needed for her own body, secretes large amounts in the milk. 

 The animal body requires much water, particularly the younger 

 ones ; their bodies are more than 50 per cent water. Again, water 

 adds succulence to the food, which increases its palatability. 

 The great importance of an abundance of good water for all 

 animals is often underestimated. 



Ash. — The ash or mineral matter is chiefly used in the for- 

 mation of bone, but also to some extent in the tissues, blood, 

 digestive fluids, and the like. Young aninjals fail to develop if 

 given no mineral matter, and mature animals become weak and 

 inactive if deprived of only one substance, that of common salt. 

 Hogs, if closely confined and fed on corn alone, are likely to be 

 weak-boned because of the lack of mineral matter in the food. 

 If to the corn ration some food rich in mineral matter, such as 

 alfalfa, or even wood ashes, is added, no difficulty is experienced. 

 Hens always require more lime than is found in the food. This 

 is strikingly illustrated when we compare the composition of 

 eggs and corn, for example, the former containing 12.2 per cent 

 ash, the latter only 1.5 per cent. The ash in the food of the 

 milk cow also deserves special consideration on account of phos- 

 phoric acid, lime, and potash so abundantly found in the milk 

 which she secretes. In short, the ash or mineral matter in the 

 food of all animals, young and old, deserves much consideration. 



Protein. — So far as is known, the proteids of the food are the 

 only source of the proteids of the body. In other words, the 

 muscles, the connective tissues, the blood, the skin, the hair, 

 the horn, the hoofs, and the larger part of the tissues of the 

 secretive and excretive organs owe their formation to the protein 

 of the food. Since these are the tissues that largely determine 

 the vigor and quality of the animal, and since they are formed 

 rapidly in the early stages of growth, a normal and continuous 

 development demands an abundant supply of protein food. In 

 addition to this, protein is a source of fat and can serve as fuel, or 



