Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-09-24
The Cow and Her Food.

/ IL was OLiCt supposed IDaL the ndterla
Tor nouTishing the various parts of tn,
animal body and supplying its varied re
quirements was elaborated in the bod
OF the animal out of whatever food con
sumed; that in feeding animals, for in
stance, it was only necessary to supply
them with such food as they could al
gest and the vital functions would mole
l 1t into any shape or condition to suit tn,
purposes of life; that the body was
chemical laboratory in which fat or mus
Gle, nerve or bone could be formed GU
. of any digestible food. This theory wa
followed by another that all the materia
which enters into the composition of tht
body must be ready formed and in con
ditiOn suitable for assimilation before i
is eaten; and that all the animal has t
do in digesting its food is to separate the
several elements of food from the innu
JrItious parts and form each other anC
7 appropriate them; that, in short, the ami
nal Is only & machine for separating anC
depOsiting the elements of nutrition con
tanned in the food consumed Neither
OF these theories is wholly false MOI
wholly true. 1t is true that food must
contain certain elements ready formed
or 1t cannot serve the purpose of life
and it is also true, to limited extent
that one kind may be converted into an
other and varied in its use.
The supporters of respiration, gum,
! starch, sugar and fat, may change forms,
! but all those forms must end in fat or be
! burned in respiration. They can never
! form flesh or bone. They contain no
/ nitrogen to make flesh of, and no min
/ eral for bone The aIbuminoids, albu-
men, fibrid, casein and gluten may
| change forms under the influence Of the
! vital force, but they alone can build up
/ the flesh and tissues Of the body. They
| are not, however, confined to this pur-
/ pose. They can, by parting with oEy-
| gen, support respiration or furnish fat.
! The extent to which albuminoids are
/ thus convertible is limited but that they
may serve to build up flesh and support
respiration also is well known The
/ farmers COW, like all other animals, is
! part chemist and part machine, and in
! feeding her to derive revenue her
! double capacity should be kept in view.
! When considered as chemist it is i'm
p0rtant to have her food in a condition
to require the least possible change, that
! time and her vital energy may be econo-
mixed. As a machine it is necessary to
! have her food in a condition such that its
| IIill1t4OuS ClCIlCl1lS IlCtN bC CoSlI y
! separated and dissolved out of the in
soluble and fibrous matter with which it
| is always connected
When the chopper is preparing fuel in
the forest, if his timber cuts and splits
easily, he prepares large amount in a
day; if it cuts hard and splits toughly
he can do much less with the same OF
any given amount Of strength; so with
H. ,l, e
nished food easy to digest she can use a
large amount and produce large results.
If it is difficult of digestion it works
slowly, like the tough timber, and but
little is effected in a given time. But it
may be asked what cattle food is easy of
digestion and what difficult. As rule
young food whether dry or green is easy
to digest, also such foods as are succu,
lent or have their nutTitive properties
combined with a considerable amount OF
water, such as roots and green sOiline
food. Ripe heritage, as a rule, is difficult
of digestion. \ COW will digest as much
nutriment out Of green grass in an hour
as she can in three hours out Of we'll
matured hay.
Well-ripened food may be made easy
of digestion by steaming or cooking
so that it may be substituted for green
food In it's natural or raw state herb
age that is we'll matured has the double
disadvantage of dIgesting slowly and OF
having q considerable part of its nu
tritious matter entirely indigestible, sc
that food in this condition is entirely
lost Cooking remedies both these faults
besides facilitating digestion, it brings
into q digestible condition 20 or 81
per cent. Of nutriment in all well
matured heritage that would otherwise
be passed undigested and lost.
But it is not enough that the food o
COWS should be easy of digestion: i
should also have the different elements
in their right proportion. The flesh
forming and respiratory matter mus
sustain certain relations to each other
and part of the latter must be fat.
1t is found to accord with experience
and chemical investigation that one
pound of albuminoids, casein, albumen
etc, will supply the daily waste for 50(
pounds Of live weight of ordinary farm
stock, while a pound Of starch, sugar
etc, will hardly supply the waste for 10C
pounds. A pound of fat will answer fol
more than 1000 pounds. For each pOunC
OF albuminOids, therefore, there must bt
five pounds Or above of respiratory fOoC
and nearly one-half pound fat; unless
this proportion in the relation of food /:
nearly complied with the animal will no
prosper. From the fact that flesh anc
fiesh-forming food may in part, supply
respiration, d small amount of starch
sugar, etc, may be wanting without any
material injury if the other element i:
abundant. But as nothing can answer IL
the place Of albuminoids there can be nc
lack of that kind of food without loss. 4
fattening animal, even, suffers by any
such deficiency. The increase Of cell:
necessary to hold the increased acCumu
latiOn of fat will not be found II there Is
a lack of heterogeneous matter to form
them Of, and, having noplace IN which tC
lodge, 1t goes to waste.
Fattening cattle are sometimes fed a
a considerable loss from this cause. Bu
dairymen much oftener run astray in the
use of fiesh-producing food.
The ratiOns of mich COW should be
different from these of Stalled or store
cattle A COW which will weigh Loo
pounds giving a good flow of milk, will re
ouire in her daily food four pounds al
) buminoids, twelve to fifteen of carbOhy
drates and about /! pounds offat. The las
two are usually in full supply, but the
first is often lacking There is but little
} forage that will furnish the needed pro
portion. In green grass everything il
; we'll balanced. But the per cent of al
= buminoids decreases as the grass ma
lures, and fails of proper supply il
hav and almost all advanced heritage
Grass, either green or dried, has the adj
, vantage of almost all other kinds Of fooC
; for milk production in the quality OF
easy digestion. Nothingyields so easily
to the action of the gastric juice. From
the large per cent. Of water combined
: with its nutritive matter nothing is Sc