Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-11-02
The Feed Proposition

We hear great deal at THIS time
about malnutrition In human beings:
Certainly no more important subject
has ever engaged our attention. Re-
search work has shown that many OF
our boys and girls and men and won.
en- suffer from some defect DrouSht
lnourishment at some stage of their
development. 1t is a sad reflection
on our much Wanted twentieth CEN
| tury progress that such conditions
should pertain. 1t is to be hoped that
the present efforts being made along
us as to insure the correction of the
| existing evils growing out Of the I'M
proper nourShment of our human
population. After that has been &C
lcomplished let us hasten to see tnat
our animals also have some attention
along this line. They constitute one
of our chief assets; yet it would APP
| pear or exceed those of our human
| population.
It is only recently that the writ
er's attention was directed TO case
of the death of sixteen head OF work
stock where the investigation showed
that the trouble was apparently que
| TO malnutrition brought about by I'M
dor nourishment and improper feed
ing. 1t seems incredible that the
owner of SO large number OF AMI
| mails would neglect them to the eX-
| tent of causing their death, but those
who made the examination are care
full and relia BILE persons and their ex-
pressed opinion is worthy OF the
most serious consideration. Even
suppose that the animals did not die
from malnutrition. alone, it was un-,
doubtedly the chief contributing
cause of their death. II would be in.
teresting as well as ASTONISHING
stock in the state Of Georgia and de-
termine with any degree Of accuracy
the percentage of animals dying from
malnutrition. 1t is certain that any
such estimate would run into the
millions of dollars.
This brings US to consideration
of the cause of so large Wastage
and the ascertainment of means for
| its prevention. Ma1nutrition, as we
understand and interpret the term,
means the improper feeding or nour-
ishment of the animal. All animals
is the business of the hen to lay
eggs. The egg is stable or virtually
stable in composition. The hen
blessed with maternal instinct de-
sires to reproduce her kind; She VIII
therefore draw on her body and lay
an egg from time to time as long as
she is able. Finally, however, the
system becomes impoverished of the
essential constituents. There is no
replenishing of her body of the ele-
\
oped, and she ceases to lay and be-
comes an Improbable member of the
animal kingdom. The owner com
plains about this condition; says his
/ hens are no good; that the strain he
has does not lay we'll. He blames
everything and everybody, very often
including a kindly Providence, but
himself. Let an expert in poultry
! husba ndry come along, however. and
ne will diagnose the cause Of the
| 11-@
time to build up the body of the hen
| to where she will have enough of
| the constituent elements to again
produce an egg. Just as soon as this
condition occurs, however. she will
begin to lay again and will continue
Rod of time. depending largely on
the manner in which she is fed.
| The case of the hen not laying is
a fine example of malnutrition in the
animal Kingdom. 1t is an evidence
! of the inefficiency of orr present
fine illustration of our need of a type
of education that will acquaint us
with the requirements of the hen and
the best methods of supplying the
same SO as to make her profitable
| entity in human service.
What I have said of the hen ap-
plies with equal force to the COW,
| the hog and the sheep. Work stock,
as rule. do not supply us with
any element Of human food. This
United States is concerned, though
abroad the flesh of work animals
| appears to be used quite largely as
human food. We keep our work stock
| to perform a service for us in the
cultivation of the land and in the
production of crops. We value them
for their ability to work for long
| periods of time and keep in good
condition. A mule that works for
his master continuously and eff
ficiently for fourteen years is a
profitable animal, but one which
dies at the age of four or five years
is not profitable The cause of his
death. however, may have been
! brought about by the most inefficient
| type of feeding andShandling. Seven
! to ten years of useful work may
/ have been lost to the owner by his
failure to feed and nourish his mules
pronerly.
This is a fine example. of our
! present lack of adequate knowledge
Of the\problems involved in the nu-
triton of our live stock There is
no MORE important question requir-
ing consideration and solution at the
hands of our farmers than this one.
Institutions such as. the Georgia
State College Of Agriculture have
acquired through long years of labor
and effort that basic information es-
sential to the correction or condi-
| tions such as have been pointed out
but it is still an undetermined prob
lem as to how it is going to be des-
simated to all the people who live
! in the open country. 1t needs to be
brought to THEW attention in such
a clear and definite manner as to
insura the correction of existing
practices 1t is one of those rques-
tions that is just as imnortant to the
, welfare of the state Of the commu-
ity as the honor. the integrity and
success of the local state or national
| bank
The winter season is approaching
again. 1t is at this season of the
year that our animals suffer most
from malnutrition. In the summer
time food supplies may be at times
| short and It NAV not be possible for