CHEMISTRY OF THE FEEDING OF ANIMALS. 



175 



composition of the food, of the increase, and to some extent of the 

 manure also ; and in doing so 1 shall assume that the animals are 

 liberally supplied with good fattening food ; for it should be borne 

 in mind that, as a large amount of the food is expended to main- 

 tain the respiration of the animal, the proportion of this expendi- 

 ture or loss to the amount of saleable increase obtained will be the 

 greater the- longer the period required for the production of the 

 increase, and hence it will be the greater if Ihe food be inferior in 

 quality, or stinted in amount 



With these preliminary remarks, I will now direct attention to 

 the tables. 



Table I. — Composition, per cent., of Oxen, Sheep, and Pigs, in the 

 Store and in the Fat Condition. 



Table I. shows the composition, per cent., of oxen, sheep and 

 pigs, both in the store and in the fat condition, the constituents 

 given being the nitrogenous substance (lean), the non-nitrogenous 

 substance or fat, the mineral or incombustible matter, the sum of 

 these or total dry substance, and the water. 



Taking first the nitrogenous substance, it is seen that in each 

 description of animal there are several per cent, less of it in the 

 fat than in the store condition. Of fat, on the other hand, there 

 is in the case of both the oxen and the sheep nearly, and in that 

 of pigs fully, twice as much in 100 lbs. live weight of the fat, as 

 in the same weight of the store animals. The mineral matter, 

 again, like the nitrogenous substance, is found in less proportion 

 in the fat than in the store animal. Lastly, the proportion of total 

 dry substance is seen to be considerably increased, and that of the 

 water diminished, as the animal passes from the lean to the fat 

 condition. 



In fact, the fattening process may be said to consist mainly in 

 the diminution of the proportion of water, and the increase of that 



