CATTLE FEEDING. 



145 



Substances acting as nervous excitants do not seem to have very 

 much influence on the decomposition and excretion of albumin. A 

 large quantity of fodder will not only give a more abundant produc- 

 tion than a smaller quantity of the same fodder, but the nutritive 

 elements will also be more thoroughly utilized. This has been 

 proved by experiment, one tried at Weende may be cited as an 

 example ; the total quantity of nutritive elements in the ration o5 

 two oxen was raised from 8.03 kilogrammes (about 19.64 lbs.) to-^ 

 9.73 kilogrammes (about 21. | lbs.), the nutritive relation remaining 

 the same. After the increased amount was fed to the oxen, 32 per 

 cent, of the albuminoids was fixed, while previouslj- only 18 per 

 cent, had been fixed. 



When the quantity of albuminoids in fodder is increased without 

 a relative increase of the other constituents, an increased quantity 

 of albumin is rendered available for organic exchange, changes in 

 the body become more rapid, nevertheless some of the albumin is 

 generally fixed by the animal. It is only after some time that the 

 equilibrium of exchange is established, and that a part of the 

 albuminoids are fixed. An excessive increase of albuminoids is 

 rarely economical as the quantity deposited is comparatively small. . 



The fat deposited in the animal tissues hinders the rapid transfor- 

 mations of albumin and therefore acts as a preservative agent 

 against its destruction and favors the formation of mncular fibre, 

 (flesh). Animals that are somewhat fat will therefore more rapidly 

 take on flesh than those that are less so. From this it is seen that 

 the most suitable fodder for cattle already in good condition will , 

 have a composition quite diflferent from that most useful for animals 

 in poor condition. In order to feed animals economically it is 

 necessary to see that the nutritive principles of the fodder should 

 present a proper relation to one another, that is, the relation of the 

 digestible albuminoids to the digestible carbohydrates. A proper 

 quantity of fats in a fodder has the effect of slightly checking the 

 transformation of albuminoids, and in aiding the formation of mus- 

 cular tissue ; the action of fats in this relation does not seem very 

 well established, and it is probably in the long run only, that its 

 influence is at all felt. The eflfect of fats in food is less observable 

 in herbivorous than in carnivorous animals. 



The amount of fat contained in fodder must not be too great, as 

 its influence upon digestion is on the whole injurious ; small quanti- 

 ties may exert a favorable influence upon the animal's progress in 



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