CHEMISTRY OF THE FEEDING OF ANIMALS. 



183 



larger amount of nitrogenous and mineral matter in proportion to 

 its digestible and available non-nitrogenous constituents. 



But whilst the pig, with his much higher character of food, gave 

 so much more increase than the sheep for a given amount con- 

 sumed, and the sheep more than the ox, the ox returned as 

 manure 36"5 per cent, of the dry substance he consumed, the 

 sheep not quite 32, and the pig only W'l per cent. The pro- 

 portion of the consumed matter that was lost by respiration was, 

 on the other hand, rather the lowest with the ox, namely, 57 '3 

 per cent. ; whilst with the sheep it was 60'1, and with the pig it 

 was 65"t per cent. Or, reckoned in proportion to a given amount 

 of increase produced, the oxen gave, for 100 lbs. of increase in 

 live weight, 404 lbs., the sheep 291, and the pigs only TO lbs., of 

 dry substance in manure ; and for the same amount of increase, 

 the oxen lost of dry substance, by respiration, &c., 636 lbs., the 

 sheep 548-6 lbs., and the pigs 276-2 lbs. 



There is another point from which it is desirable to view the dif- 

 ference of the result obtained with the different descriptions of 

 animal. This is illustrated by the figures given in Table IV., 

 which shows for oxen, sheep and pigs, respectively, the amounts 

 of increase yielded, and of dry substance consumed in food, voided 

 as manure, and lost by respiration, per 100 lbs. live weight per 

 week. 



Table IV. — Amount of increase yielded, and of Dry Substance con- 

 sumed in Food, recovered as Ilanure, and lost by Respiration, 

 &c., per 100 lbs. live iceight, per week. 



Oxen . 

 Sheep 

 Pigs . 



Per 100 lbs. live Weight, per Week. 



Increase 

 yielded. 



lbs. 

 1-13 

 1-V6 

 6-43 



Dry Substance. 



Consumed 

 in food. 



lbs. 

 12o 

 160 

 27-0 



Recovered 

 as Manure. 



lbs. 

 4.56 

 5-10 

 4-51 



Lost by Re- 

 spiration, &o. 



lbs. 



716 



9-62 



17-74 



The first column of this table shows that whilst the pig in- 

 creases from 6 to 6| per cent, of its weight per week, the sheep 

 increases only If, and the ox little more than 1 per cent. No 

 wonder, then (to say nothing of the difierence in the character of 

 the food), that the oxen and sheep, requiring so much longer time 

 to add a given proportion to the weight of their bodies, should 



