Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-04-16
Agricultural Department Makes
Tests to Learn Best Foods.
j. H. WILSON REPORTS FINDINGS
Change in Animals Rations Cannot Be
Made With Feeders Whims-Value
of Various Grains as Foods for Ami
mails.
[BY FRANK J. sTILLMAN.l


Washington, d. c., April 15.-Secre-
tary Wilson OF the department OF agri-
Culture has OF late been giving much
thought and attention to the subject of
horse feeding" and with his corps of
assistants mas carried on experiments
with view to determining the best
foods for horses for various purposes,
growth, speed. hard steady work, and
general purposes. Secretary Wilson's
deductions, briefly stated are substan-
tally as follows:
Opinions may differ as to the value
of this food or that. but it is evident
that the actual food requirements of
a horse performing given amount of
work can not vary as a result of
change of opinion on the feeders part.
With horses, as with all animals, in
Guiding man, the real problem is to
supply sufficient nutritive material for
building and repairing the body and
furnishing it with the energy necessary
for performing work, whether it be
that which goes on inside the body
(the beating OF the heart, respiratory
movements, etc., or the work which
is performed outside the body (haul-
ing load, etc. The body temperature
must be also maintained at the ex-
pense of the fuel ingredients, but
whether the material is burned in the
body primarily for this purpose, or
whether the necessary heat is result
ant of the internal muscular work is
not known with certainty.
The problem of feeding horses diff
fers from that in feeding other domes-
tic animals. Cattle, sheep and pigs
are fed to induce gains in weight, to
fatten them. or in the case OF mich
cows to produce gains in the form of
a body secretion (milk) rather than as
fat in the body. Sheep are fed for the
production OF wool, and poultry in the
interest Of eggs. Horses are fed al
most universally as beasts of burden
whether the work consists of carrying
a rider or drawing a load Mares with
foal require food for the development
of their young, and after their birth,
| the colt needs it for the development
and growth of the body as well as for
| maintenance. Sometimes horses are
| fed to increase their weight, TO i'm
| prove their condition. For instance,
horses are often fattened by horse
dealers before they are sold. But after
all the results of many carefully plan
ned experiments, agree that the best
| test of any given ration is. that it en-
ables the horse to maintain a constant
weight. If the animal loses weight it
| is evident the ration is insufficient,
while if the animal increases in flesh
it is an indication of being over-fed.
\ oh he nj ff, ~
all bodily requirements and nothing
more, as it is not desirable to induce
any considerable gain in weight. Rea-
sonableness in cost is also an item to
| be considered
The foundation principles of nutri
| ton are the same in the case of all ami
| mails, including man, and the body is
necessarily made up of the same chem
| ical elements as occur in food. Prote
/ in is the only nutrient which contains
nitrogen, hence this nutrient is essen
tial for building and repairing body tbs.
sues. The mineral matter in food is
/ needed for the formation and sustain
ing of the skeleton and also required
in the organs and tissues. The water
in food is not nutrient in the sense
that 1t builds tissue or yields energy
but is essential in carrying food to the
/ digestive organs to dilute the blood
and other purposes.
1
The amount of work performed by 9
horse may be resolved as follows:
/. The energy spent in chewing
swallowing and digesting food, keep
ing up the beating of the heart, cir
culation of the blood, respiratory
movements and other vital processes
u. The energy which is expended in
walking, trotting, etc, which is energy
required for forward progression. g.
The energy which is expended in car
rying a rider, as in the case of a sad
die horse, or drawing a load, as in tht
case of draft animal or carriage
horse. The character of the road
whether level or up or down hill, is al
important factor in determining the
amount of work. More energy is re-
quired when walking on level Wher
a load is drawn up hill it must BIZ
raised as well as drawn forward.
Solid feeding stuffs are an absolute
essential for working animals, a!
there is really very little nourishmen
in grasses. Take for instance, an an
alysis of common meadow grass, ant
you find water, 50; protein, "a ia
8; nitrogen, 14.3; crude fiber, 10.S
ash. 2. Under like analysis oats ant
corn show nearly the same results Ga!
compared with each other) as follows
Corn Water, 1916; Protein, 10.5; fat
5; nitrogen, 70.4. (Oats--597;) crude
fiber, 20; ash, 1.5.
Cereal grains resemble each othe
quite closely in composition. bein'
satisfied by low water content, and
large amount of protein and nitrogen
free extract. The value of one grail
over another, If it exists at all, mus
depend on some factor other than com
position. 1t is claimed by many tina
oats possess a popularity stimulating
body called "ayenin,' and have a fiayo
or some other property which make
them a favorable food with horses, bu
the most careful study along chemica
lines has failed to reveal the theoret
ical avenin. 1t has been proved, how
ever. that the fat of oats and oat