The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1886-12-15

their composition, and one might nat
urally infer that 4 food with a certain
composition might be more easily and
completely converted into milk than
some other of different character; an
other might be more readily converted
into flesh and fat. In 4 general way
this has been recognized and accepted
as a fact. Corn, for instance, is con-
sidercd . fattening food; cow-pcas rs
4 nilk-producing one. But expert
mcnts have been made TO test these
matters more in detail and more def
nitciy, and the best rations for special
purposes have been fixed with Z degree
Of certainty sufficient for practical
purposes. Food may be regarded
as made up Of three groups OF sub
stances: nitrogenouS compounds
(Which for brevity may be called pro-
tcim, starch, gum and sugar com.
pounds Called hydro-carbonS) and
fats. Now, for 4 cow weighing 900
pound:, experiments Show that its
daily rations should contain - pounds
of protein, y! pounds Of hydro-car-
tlonS and fourteenths ola pound Of fat.
This does not mean that the food ii
analvzed should contain the above
quantities of those substances, but that
those quantities must be present III
dioestiblc form so the animal can
digest and appropriate them. The
amounts present and the amounts
di"cstible are quite unequal especial
" in long forage, as hay, fodder, straw,
etc. Thus of hay about SO per cent.
Of its protein is digestible; about the
same of its hydro-carbon, and from 20
to 40 per cent. of its fat. Of straw,
about 50 per cent. of its protein, 40
per cent. Of its hvdro-carbon and 80
p=r cent. Of its fat is digestible. OF
corn (srain), nearly 50 per cent. OF It's
protein, 90 per cent. of its hydro-car-
bon and &C per cent. Of lis fat is digest
ible. Of oats (grainO, 81 per cent. OF
It's protein, q Of its hydro-earbon and
IS per cent. of its fat is digestio!e. In
making I'D q ration, therefore, atten-
ton must be had, not only to the
composition OF stuff Gas shown by an
alysis), but also to its digestibility.
Tables Of composition and digestibiiity
OF the more common kinds OF food and
forage are given in little book
called "Farmer's Animal Handbook,
published by D. Appleton II Co.,
| OF New York, which every
| i;.rmcr would find useful and
convenient to have. Cribs is @ratui-
tons advertising, given without the
knowledge OF said publishers). In
| making up the ration fer az animal,
tic proper proportion of the three M
gredients mentioned above can be
secured only by mixing two or more
foods in certain proportions. No sin
Gle food contains them exactly III
| proper proportions, though some ap-
! proXimatc il nearer than others. III
any one of the three DC present IN q
ration in excess of the amount called
fnr, i; will not be appropriated by the
animal, and will, therefore, be practl-
ca:ly lost. a question of economy IS,
therefore, largely involved. Our OBJ
! icct now is to call attention to il TO get
! our readers 10 think about tie matter.
At some future time we hope to give
several rations properly Droportloned,
and made up of the foods and torages
generally found on Southern farms.
The york of the year is about lin
iShcd. Would it not be we'll to bal
aEce accounts and see whether we have
made or lost: We hope all will find
the balance on the right side OF the
ledger. Ii any are so unfortunate az
to be in debt, we hope they will find
themselves nearer out than they were
4 year ago: and, inspired with fresh
hope, Will enjoy the happy reunions of
the approaching Christmas. TO one
and all the writer sends his Warme$t
greetings.