FEEDS FOR ANIMALS 87 



A ration should be changed slowly and gradually. A sud- 

 den change may upset the metabolism. It takes time for 

 the digestion and metabolism to become accustomed to new 

 feeds and to different combinations. From one to four weeks 

 should be allowed to make a change in a ration. Four weeks 

 is better than one. 



Ear corn thrown to pigs not accustomed to it will be left 

 untouched for a time although they have had ground corn and 

 other similar grains. Pea straw was at first left untouched 

 by a certain band of sheep, but after a time was greatly relished 

 and made a very good feed. It has been shown experimentally 

 that it takes about a month for an animal to make the best 

 use of a new ration. 



In spite of these facts, which are not so well known as they 

 should be, many persons provide variety in the ration for their 

 animals by feeding first one thing and then something else. 

 This is especially true in summer when the stock is on pasture. 

 They may be grazed on timothy, bluegrass, clover, alfalfa, 

 soy beans, rape, etc., in succession for periods of two or three 

 weeks each. They are left on one feed almost long enough 

 to become accustomed to it and then they are changed to some- 

 thing else. Under such conditions the animal machine is 

 always getting ready to do something and is never allowed to 

 get down to real work. How would a farmer get along who 

 spent all his time in sharpening the sickle and never got to 

 cutting his crop? 



The best way to get variety, however, is to provide a number 

 of feeds and feed these simultaneously all the time. These 

 feeds must make a balanced ration. Then there will be no 

 craving for something else. 



Pasture. — A good pasture is always made up of a variety 

 of plants, including both the legumes — clover or alfalfa — and 

 the grasses — bluegrass, timothy, orchard grass. A pasture 

 containing nothing but legumes will furnish too much protein 

 for mature animals and one containing only grasses will not 

 have enough protein for young and growing animals. A 

 permanent pasture as a rule contains a variety of plants. 

 This not only furnishes variety and a balanced ration for the 

 animals but also uses the large variety of plant foods in a given 



