VEGETABLE FOODS. 179 



grasses; in the third, all other grasses. The richer the hay is in the 

 sweet grasses, in clovers, and leguminous plants, the better it is. The 

 richer it is in acid, marshy grasses, and the like, the poorer it is. Hay 

 cut in summer is better and more nutritious than that cut in autumn, and 

 so with second crop or after-cut. In the latter also the aromatic hay- 

 odor is wanting. Hay which has been wet by the rain, so losing a large 

 part of its inorganic matters, and that which has been kept for several 

 3'ears,has but little more nutritive worth than straw. Analysis has shown 

 that clover and prairie ha3'S which have been exposed to the rain for one 

 or two weeks may lose as much as 12 per cent, of their nutritive matters. 

 Hay which contains poisonous plants, mud, dust, or worms or cater- 

 pillars, or when it has become spoiled by putrefaction or fermentation, 

 is likewise hurtful. 



In the manufacture of various food-products residues are often left 

 which may be of considerable nutritive value for our domestic animals. 

 Such residues have a somewhat similar composition, usually, to that of the 

 original parts of plants of which they are formed ; the relative proportions 

 of the different constituents will, however, vary, as more or less of cer- 

 tain substances are removed in the process of manufacture. Of the dry 

 residues the various milled foods, such as meals and flours of the dif- 

 ferent cereals, are the most important. They contain usually 80 per 

 cent, of solids. They are especially rich in albuminoids (over 20 per 

 cent.) and fats (5.10 per cent.), and are, therefore, valuable adjuvants 

 to foods which are poor in these nutritive principles. 



The residue from beer-breweries (beer-mash, brewers' grains) is also 

 a valuable food. It contains 20.25 per cent, of solids, composed largely 

 of albuminoids, with a relatively small proportion of non-nitrogenous 

 matters (1:2), somewhat more cellulose, and a considerable amount of 

 fat and inorganic matter. 



Chemical analysis of fresh brewers' grains shows the following 



average composition : — 



Solids 22 3 per cent. 



Proteids 4.6 " 



Fats If " 



Non-nitrogenous extractives „ 



Cellulose, 5.0 " 



Assuming that 13 per cent, of the proteids is digestible, fat 84 per 

 cent., extractives 64 per cent., and cellulose 39 per cent., the average 

 amounts of digestible matters may then be placed as follow :— 



Proteids 1 HP e] ;, cent - 



Carbo-hydrates ^J* ° 



Fats, -. . 0.8 



The proportion of nutritive matter may thus be placed as 1 : 3.4. 

 The fresh residue from breweries contains a large percentage of 



