Con vent ion—principles of stock feeding. 145 
quantity of food for her individual use, can, in addition to this 
amount, convert the j^reatest proportion of food into milk. 
Suppose two cows each to require twenty pounds of food-sub¬ 
stance to supply the wants of her system, and keep her in a healthy 
condition, and that in addition to this amount one can digest and 
•convert into milk twenty pounds of food-substance and the other 
but ten. The former would be twice as profitable as the latter, be¬ 
cause, with an equal outlay of capital, she produces twice the re¬ 
sults. As a machine, she does twice the useful work. 
That I may be clearly understood upon this point, allow me to 
elaborate a little more fully. The functions of food consumed by a 
full grown animal are: 
1st. The performing of vital work, or that necessary for main¬ 
taining the circulation, digestion, respiration, etc., and the main¬ 
taining of animal heat. 
2d. The performing of useful work, either muscular exertion, as 
in the case of draft animals and beasts of burden, or in the manu¬ 
facture of useful products, as milk, meat, wool, etc. 
The first class of functions are of much importance to the ani¬ 
mals themselves, and hence it is to their maintenance that food is 
first appropriated. Yet it is the second class of functions only that 
can yield profitable returns for food, capital and labor expended. It 
is consequently necessary for the dairyman to keep in mind the 
conditions requisite for obtaining the greatest value in useful pro¬ 
ducts for the food consumed by his cow. The first condition per¬ 
tains to the animal herself. Milk is the product sought. Hence, 
other conditions remaining the same, that animal will be the most 
useful that converts all the food not needed for her own sustenance 
into milk. Having animals with this tendency, how can they be 
kept in vigorous health, in order that every organ may perform its 
appropriate function, and especially that the digestion may be per¬ 
fect, not only that the animal may obtain from a given supply of 
food the greatest possil le quantity of milk, but also that the largest 
amount of food may be digested. For, as before stated, the most 
profitable cow is the one that digests the most food in proportion 
to that required for her own physical wants. 
One of the essential conditions then, to successful practice, is the 
maintenance of the condition of the cow when giving milk. In order 
that this may be done, the digestive portion of their food must be 
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