ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. gg 



A large part of the animal body consists of water, but this is supplied 

 so abundantly as a rule that we need not consider it furtheT. 



DIGESTIBILITY. 



Having considered all of the group of substances required to nourish 

 the animal, let us next consider their digestibility. 



Food consumed by the animal passes into the digesitive tract, which is 

 a tube running through the body. Before any of the protein, carbohy- 

 drates, or fat supplied in the food can be taken into the body from the 

 alimentary tract, it must first be dissolved by the digestive fluids se- 

 creted from the walls of the alimentary canal. These fluids of various 

 kinds attack the food materials containing nutriment, and dissolve more 

 or less oif it. The dissolved portions then pass through the linings of 

 the intestines and enter the blood, while the indigestible portion passes 

 on as waste. For present purposes we shall consider only the digestible 

 portion of feeding stuffs. 



A SAMPLE TABLE OF COMMON FEEDING STUFFS. 



In the table herewith presented are given a few of the common feed- 

 ing stuffs together with the quantity of digestible material contained in 

 100 pounds. A school teacher would have toi assist her a^arge chart which 

 would not only give the substances I here present, but many others as 

 well, so that the farmer boy and girl could learn something about all the 

 materials which are used on our farms ot might be used thereon for feed- 

 ing animals. Please remember that thisi is a sample table containing 

 only a few articles which are required for today's discussion. 



Table showing the digestibility of several common feeding stuff si; 



Total digestible Substance in 

 Feeding Stuffs 100 pounds 



Protein Carbohydrates Ether Ext 

 Eoughage Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. 



Corn stover 1.7 32.4 0.7 



Red clover hay 6.8 35.8 1.7 



Timothy hay 2.8 43.4- 1.5 



Oat straw 1.2 38.6 0.8 



