262 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



CASEIN. 



Name. Animal. Vegetable. 



Carbon ••••• 53-5 53-5 



Hydrogen 7.0 7.1 



Oxygen 23.7 23.4 



Nitrogen 15.8 16.0 



100.0 100.0 



An interesting fact in this connection is that all three of these 

 substances are nearly identical in their composition, and they 

 contain largely of that costly substance in agriculture, nitrogen. 

 We have shown the importance of fibrin in the muscular tissue, 

 and of caseine in milk. 



Albumen abounds in material for making bone, muscle, car- 

 tilage, the nails, claws, horns and hoofs. In fact, the horns of 

 animals are almost entirely composed of albumen. In the fluid 

 state albumen is found in the serum of blood and the whites of 

 eggs. Exposed to heat and air, it easily putrifies. It congulates 

 at 180 degrees Fahrenheit, and dry, it is brittle, transparent, 

 and resists decay. Besides its nitrogen, it contains some sul- 

 phur and sometimes phosphorus. 



Now, in health, the animal may pretty safely be left to judge 

 for itself of what is necessary as food. That is, if fed full rations 

 of hay and grain, it will sometimes take more of one than of the 

 the other; but in changing their grain rations, care must be 

 taken that they are not given too much. For instance, if the 

 ration has been a peck of o'ats per day, this must not be changed 

 to a peck of corn, but to the same number of pounds of corn as 

 was given of other grain. The want of knowledge in this re- 

 spect leads many stablemen into serious difficulties with their 

 stock, generally from the eagerness of the animal for a change of 

 food. 



It will not be necessary to follow the subject farther at 

 present, except to give a few examples from actual practice 

 with the average daily gain, in fattening cattle. Here is the 



