FOOD 105 



proteid, fat, and carbo-hydrates. The fat is to be multi- 

 plied by 2'44 to bring it to its equivalent in starch, and 

 added to the carbo-hydrates ; the product of these is to be 

 divided by the proteid. 



Example. — What is the albuminoid ratio in a diet con- 

 sisting of 12 lbs. hay and 10 lbs. oats ? 



The above diet possesses the following amount of digestible 

 principles 



Lbs. 



Proteid ... ... ... 1'6 



Fats ... ... ... ... -5 



Carbo-hydrates ... ... 8'4 



Fat ... ... ... ■5x2-44 = l-22 



Carbo-hydrate... ... 8-4 =8-40 



9-62 



The nitrogenous ratio is therefore 



1-6 : 9-62 or 1 : 6. 



The normal food of herbivora, viz., grass, has an albu- 

 minoid ratio of from 1 : 4 to 1 : 6. In hay the albuminoid 

 ratio is low, viz., 1 : 8, and this could only be of use in 

 animals intended for slow work, or for those about to be 

 fattened. Such a low ratio would only produce flesh, fat, 

 and milk, very slowly. 



Young clover before flowering has an albuminoid ratio of 

 1 : 3 to 1 : 4 ; the diet if exclusively clover would be ex- 

 cessively nitrogenous and cause waste of proteid ; in such 

 a case the ratio can be lowered by the addition of straw or 

 chaff. Clover hay has a ratio of 1 : 5 to 1 : 6. 



In cereals the ratio lies between 1 : 5 to 1 : 7. In legu- 

 minous seeds it is very high, 1 : 2 to 1 : 3, while in oil- 

 cake it is still higher, 1 : 1 to 1 : 2. 



DIGESTIBILITY OF FOOD. 



The digestibility of a food is its power of undergoing 

 absorption into the body for the purpose of nutrition. In 

 every food given to animals there is a distmct digestion of 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



