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NITROGENOUS FEEDING STUFFS. 69 
The growing animal needs nitrogen in the form of what the 
chemist calls protein, proteids, or albuminoids, to build up the. 
body, to make blood and muscle, tendon and bone. ‘The 
young calf and the lamb get the protein they need from the 
casein of milk. The growing lamb and steer, the ox and cow 
and horse and sheep get it from grasses, grains, and other 
feeding stuffs. Both the growing animal and the adult ani- 
mal use protein to make up for the wear and tear of muscle, 
bone, and tendon; in other words, for the building and repair 
of the body. 
The body also needs material for fuel to supply it with heat 
to keep it warm, and muscular strength for its work. Protein 
can be used for this purpose, but it is relatively too expensive. 
The principal fuel materials of food are the carbohydrates, like 
the starch of potato, wheat, and corn, and the similar com- 
pounds which occur in the grasses and other coarse fodders. 
The oils and the fatty substances, of which the grasses, grains, 
and roots contain very little, and cotton seed, linseed, and other 
oil meals contain much more, serve the same purpose as the 
carbohydrates in supplying the body with fuel. This especial 
subject is referred to more in detail beyond. It will suffice 
here that, considering the body as a machine, it is built up of 
protein, and the carbohydrates and fats are its fuel. ‘The 
important fact for the Connecticut farmer to consider is that 
the feeding stuffs, as he ordinarily grows them, do not have 
enough protein. ‘This is the real reason why he buys bran and 
oil meal and the like; and is one of the important reasons for 
his growing leguminous crops. 
A great dealis said now-a-days about well-balanced rations for 
stock. This means rations with the right proportion of build- 
_ ing material to fuel, of nitrogenous to carbonaceous nutrients, of 
protein on the one hand to fat and carbohydrates on the other. 
We speak of ‘‘ wide’’ and ‘‘narrow’’ rations. A wide ration 
'is one with a large proportion of carbohydrates and fats to 
protein, and a narrow ration is one that has a relatively larger 
proportion of protein to carbohydrates and fats. A narrow 
ration has a relatively large amount of material to build up 
the machine and to keep it in repair, while a wide ration is 
one with a large amount of fuel.* One result of a large 

* Report of Storrs Experiment Station for 1894, pp. 205-221. 
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