The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-04-01

feed and slowly and gradually in
crease the amount.
All sudden changes, or in fact,
changes Of any sort r to be avoided
as far as possible. A change of food
L. not NECESSARY TO variety. A variety
is desirable, but If care has been
taken 60 combine the ration properly
in the start and sufficient variety of
foods used, changes will not often
be necessary. When a change must
be made it should be done slowly
and gradually or the amount mate
rally reduced.
More time and bare devoted TO this
matter would mean better profits in
most cases.
A BALANCED RATION.
The average farmer becomes ner-
vous and "quits" when you begin to
talk about chemistry in feeding OF a
balanced ration" However, prao-
tice, as we'll as science, shows con-
clusively that it will pay in actual
feeding operations to take into con,
sideration the nutritive elements of
the foods used and the purpose that
each serves in the animal economy.
1t is a mistaken opinion, though a
popular one, that an understanding
of this snbject is only obtainable by
the scientist, and a still greater mis-
take TO conclude, as many do with
out investigation, that the subject is
of no practical value to the farmer
anyhow"
The principal, or basic facts, so
far as they have been developed, are
easily understood by any man of
ordinary Intelligence who will put a
few minutes thought to the ques-
ton. Moreover, while it is true that
the chemist some times attaches too
much Importance TO the balancing
of the ration and gives too little con-
sideration to the cost of the food and
the p~eoulisrities, likes and dislikes
of the animal being fed; still the
farmer makes a much more serious
and costly error when he concludes
that there is nothing in Is, that it is
all theory.
Animals and the foods they eat are
composed of very much the same
kind of materials as is shown by the
following comparison:
Animals. Foods
1. Water. 1. Water.
2. Ash. 2. Ash,
3. Prot'n. 8. Protein.
Eo+ Fats, oarb'h'drates, or
starohes and sugars.
The fats and starohes and sugars
of foods serve much the same pur-
pose; hence, we may a there is
practically no difference in the CON
position Of foods and animals as In
dictated above.
DEFINITIONS WORTH REMEMBERING.
The ash, or mineral matter, serves
principally for building up bones
and maintaining them.
The protein is used in the growth
of muscles and other organs and in
repairing waste.
The fats, sugars and starohes are
for the production of heat and en-
ergy.
Now, this being the case, it is ap-
parent that in feeding young AMI
mails, for instance, where growth is
the first consideration, ash and pro
tein r the greatest Importance;
while, or the other hand, when work
or f~attening is desired, the ration
should contain more fats, starohes
and sugars, or foods rich in them,
than where milk or wool is the OBJ
jeot of the feeding. Of course, all
these elements are essential in all
feeding, but it is a waste to use foods
that contain them out of proportion
to the needs of the animal, and as
the animal needs vary according to
the object of the feeding so must the
proportion of nutritive elements be
varied if the greatest good is to be
obtained from a given amount of
food.
BALANCING ALTON o. DIFFICULT.
Now, since all American food
Stuffs Cor nearly all) have been an
alyzed and the per oentages of digest
IDLE matter found, it is apparent
that it is not a dlffiouls task to fit
our foods TO the different purposes
for which feeding is done. All that
is needed is a standard" or approx.
mata aakimata of fha amnnnt of thn