The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-08-16
Varieties Of Food for Stock.

The majority of farmers are not IA
miliar with the terms now used to elias
sify the different qualities of food for
stock, for they do not take kindly to
such expressions as ''albuminoids, y"
''carbo ydrates, " etc. Yet, after all, the
modes of expression are simple and en-
body nearly all the constituent ele-
ments 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 classified under appropri-
ate heads, each ranking in proportion
to its nitrogen, carbon and mineral ash.
Thus, in order to arrange together those
foods that are nitrogenous or muscle
producing, the term 'albuminoids" is
employed because the nitrogen is nearly
always in combination in the shape of
albumen. The carbohydrates, =" or
heat producing substances are those
rich in starch and sugar, and as starch
and sugar both contain a large proper
ton of carbon, and also large quantities
of oxygen and hydrogen (water), the
term applied illustrates the value of the
food as well as its composition. The
base of all the nitrogenous foods is pro-
TEN. When we know that certain foods
contain fibrin, gelatin, albumenor case
in, which are found in all animal and
vegetable organizations, the fact that
nitrogen is present is made plain, be-
cause that element is necessary in such
substances; and when we understand
that foods contain starch, gum, sugar
and oils, it is apparent that they must
of necessity contain carbon.
In feeding to animals the farmer, by
his knoWledge-of the difference between
tlesh-forming foods and those that form
fat, is enabled to so combine the differ
ent foods as to provide for all their
wants. knowing that the 'aIbuminoids"
or heterogeneous foods produce muscle
dean meat) and milk, in order to allow
for heat and fat he must balance the
foods for the purpose of avoiding too
much of the one kind and not enough of
the other. On an average the proper
ton Of heterogeneous food to the carbon
er he should add six times as
much of the carbonaceous as he does
of the heterogeneous. The conditions,
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 di-
minished but if the weather is very
cold, the proportion of carbonaceous
matter, on the contrary, should be in
creased. BY knowledge of the COM
position of different foods, the farmer
who feeds for milk will regulate the
material allowed to his animals accord
ing to its quality and not quantity, as
is frequently the case. In fattening his
animals he will use the fat-forming
foods, allowing only so much nitroge-
nous matter as may be necessary for
the existence of the animal.
1t is also economical to feed only az
much as may be required. If too much
carbonaceous material be fed to an ami
imal the excess will be loss, for the
reason that the animal will assimilate
and appropriate onlyt the actual amount
necessary for the purposes required by
the system; and even when the farmer
feeds literally of carbonaceous material
he will Starve his animals if they do not
receive nitrogenous food. Hence we
often notice that on SOME farms where
the stock is literally provided with GER
tain kinds of food that the animals are
not thrifty, the young ones do not grow,
and the farmer is annoyed at the I'M
satisfactory results Of what he supposes
is good management, when the cause
is lack of perhaps only single ele-
ment, which, in connection with less
quantity of the kind of food given,
would produce radical change.
1t is important then, in order to de-
rive the best results from feeding ami
mails. that the farmer thoroughly UNI
derstand 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 a perfect knowledge of the com
position of feeding stufs is gained by
ithe farmer he viii feed at loss and
derive but little benefit from his stock.
Farm, Field and FIreSide.