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Show PROTEIN IS MOST IMPORTANT SUBSTANCE IN ANY FOODSTUFF Composed of Nitrogen, Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur, and Phosphorus It Makes Up Muscles, Tendons, Ligaments. Connecting Tissues, and Almost Everything but Fat. (By H. B. M'CI.URE.) The nutritive substances in hay or feed may be divided into two classes flesh forming and fuel or energy producing pro-ducing substances. When the proper amount of these two classes of substances sub-stances Is fed the ration Is said to be balanced. If an unbalanced ration Is fed, as one containing more fuel or energy producing substances than are needed and less flesh-forming material, mate-rial, the ration Is partially wasted, and such unwise feeding will not bring as good results as the feeding of the same amount of a balanced ration. Each class of substances has different offices of-fices to perform in the body. If not enough flesh forming substance is I a:jxlfji. , I I I I cotype I 1 rIJAT CLOVCR. I ; i I I PCOTOP. l TIMOTHY. Diagram showing the relative amounts of digestible protein and carbohydrates car-bohydrates in different kinds of hay. The section inclosed In light lines represent rep-resent the carbohydrates; those Inclosed In-closed in heavy lines, the protein. fed, the body suffers, because it is absolutely necessary to keep the body in good condition. Thousands of horses are fed all they can eat, yet are poorly nourished because the food contains little except fuel substances. The flesh forming substances are used to replace the waste that goes on in all living tissues. Energy producing produc-ing substances are used to furnish the energy required for the nervous and muscular activities of the body, and when fed in excess they may to a certain cer-tain extent be stored up in the form of fat for use later, when needed for either energy or heat. One of the most important substances sub-stances in any foodstuff is protein. All nutritive substances which contain nitrogen are classed under the general term of protein. Protein is composed of nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, sulphurs, and phosphorus. Protein is the substance which builds up the body. The muscles, tendons, ten-dons, ligaments, connective tissues, skin, hair, hoofs, part of the bone, and in fact every part of the body but fat are made up of protein, together with mineral matter, and water. The next important class of substances sub-stances Is the carbohydrates, which contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, but no nitrogen, sulphurs, or phosphorus; phos-phorus; they include starch, sugars, etc. These are used for practically the same purpose for which coal or wood is used in the steam engine, namely, to furnish energy and heat. The third important constituent of hay is its oils. Small quantities of oil are present in all kinds of hay. These oils serve the same purpose as the carbohydrates. A pound of these, however, will furnish two and one-fourth one-fourth times as much energy or heat j as the same quantity of carbohydrates. It can readily be seen, when the chemical chem-ical analysis of hay is considered, why the price of the different grades or kinds of hay should depend, first, upon the amount of digestible nutrients nutri-ents contained, and, second, upon the purpose for which the hay is fed. If the concentrated feed 1. e., the grain in the ration lacks protein, then the hay that is high in this substance is more valuable than one which contains con-tains little but carbohydrates, and vice versa. There Is quite a range in the amount of the different classes of nutrients in the various kinds of hay. On an average, in 100 pounds of alfalfa al-falfa hay the digestible protein amounts to 10.58 pounds; in cowpea hay, 10.79 pounds; in alsike clover hay, 8.15 pounds in red clover hay, 7.38 pounds; in redtop hay, 4.80 pounds; and In timothy hay, 2.89 pounds. In 100 pounds of redtop hay the digestible carbohydrates amount to 47 pounds; in timothy hay, 43.72 pounds; in 'alsike clover hay, 41.70 pounds; in alfalfa hay, 37.33 pounds; in cow-pea cow-pea hay, 38.40 pounds; in red clover hay, 36.15 pounds. When fed for protein, timothy hay ranks last, but when fed for carbohydrates carbo-hydrates it stands next to redtop, which heads the list. If the total nutrients are considered there are a number, of different kinds of hay which are equal, if not superior, to timothy hay for feeding purposes. |