The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-06-13


The majority of farmers are not familiar with
the terms used to classify the different
qualities of food for stock, for they do not take
kindly to such expressions 'albuminoids,'
'carbo hydrates' etc. Yet, after all, the modes
of expression are simple and embody nearly all
the constituent elements that enter into foods
grown upon the farm for stock feeding. Some
foods are tat-producing, such as corn while
others promote the development of muscle bone
and nerves. such as clover All foods are class
flied under appropriate heads, each ranking in
proportion to its nitrogen, carbon, and mineral
ash. Thus in order to arrange together those
foods that are nitrOgenOus muscle-producing.
the term 'albumnods' is employed, because
the nitrogen is nearly always in com
binaton in the shape of albumen. The
"carbo- hydrates, heat-producing sub
stances, those rich in starch and
sugar, and as starch and sugar both contain
a large proportion of carbon, and also-large
quantities OF oxygen and hydrogen (water. the
term applied illustrates the value of the food
well as its composition The base of all the
ntrogenous foods is protein. When we know
that certain foods contain fibrn gelatin, albu-
men, or caseln, which are found in all animal
and vegetable organisms, the fact that nitrogen
is present is made plain, because that element is
necessary in such substances; and, when we uI-
derstand that foods contain starch gum, sugar
and oils it is apparent that they must, of neces-
sity, contain carbon.
In feeding to animals the farmer by his
knowledge of the difference between hesh-form-
ing foods and those that form fat is enabled to
so combine the different foods as to provide for
all their wants. knowing that the albumin
oids, heterogeneous foods, produce muscle
(lean meat and milk in order to allow for heat
and fat he must balance the foods for the pur-
pose of avoiding too much of the one kind and
not enough of the other. On an average, the
proportion of heterogeneous food to the
bOnaceous is as one to six or rather, he
should add six times as such of the carbon
aceUus of he does of the heterogeneous. The con
ditions, however affect the proportions; for if an
animal is highly exercised as is the case with
working horses, the nitrogen may be increased
and the carbon diminished; but, if the weather
is very cold, the proportion of carbonaceous
matter, on the contrary, should be increased.
By a knowledge of the composition of foods the
farmer who feeds for milk will regulate the
material allowed to his animals according to its
quality, and not quantity, is frequently the
case. In fattening his animals he will use the
fatforming foods, allowing only so much nitro
genous matter as may be necessary for the eX
istence of the animal
1t is also economical to feed only as much as
may be required. If too much carbonaceous
material be fed to an animal the ex-
NAL will assimilate and appropriate only the
actual amount necessary for the purpose
quiFed by the SYSTEM and even when the
farmer feeds literally of carbonaceous ma
teral he will starve his animals if they do not
received heterogeneous food. Hence, we often
notice that on some farms where the stock is
literally provided with certain kinds of food that
the animals are not thrifty, the young ones do
not seem to grow, and the farmer is annoyed at
the unsatisfactory results of what he supposes is
good management, when the cause is lack of
perhaps only a single element, which, in connec-
ton with less quantity of the kind of food
given, would produce radical change
II is important, then, in order to derive the
best results from feeding animals, that the
farmer thoroughly understand the quality of the
material used. Its feeding value depends upon
the proportion of those elements best adapted to
the purposes in view, and unless perfect knowl-
edge of the composition of feeding stuffs is
gained by the farmer, he will feed at a loss and
derive but little benefit from his stock.