THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



353 



I assume * the oil or fat of 120 Iba. of turnips per 

 day (or for 24 weeks, 44'34 Iba.) to be required for 

 tuaiDteoance, and compute it as equal to starch, in 

 proportion of 2 lbs. of oil to 5 Iba. of starch and sugar, 



or 44 34 lbs = 



Starch and sugar in 120 lbs. of turnips per day for 



24 weeks .. . . ,. 



lbs. 



110-88 

 133012 



1441- 



It will be observed that the 184-5 of albumiaous matter is 

 greatly in excess of what ia required for assimulation or in- 

 crease of flesh. This supply of albumen represents 7'66 lbs, of 

 dry fibriue per week, which with the usual proportion of mois- 

 ture, 77 per cent., is equal to a gain per week of 33'30 lbs. of 

 flesh, whilst my computation of gain per week in flesh is only 

 6 lbs. It then follows that the manure or excrement from cattle 

 whilst fattening on turnips only will be richer in nitrogen 

 than when supplied only with the quantity required for their 

 maintenance. 



Professor Way, in the Royal Agricultural Society's Journal, 

 vol. iv. p. 181, gives the analyses of twenty-two kinds of grasses 

 in the dry state, comprising most of those which prevail on our 

 feeding pastures, from which he derives an average of — 



Albuminous Matter. Oil and Fat. Starch, Sugar, &c. 

 1098 303 4557 



These analyses were made on grasses chiefly when in flower. 

 Every grazier of experience will agree in saying that grass in a 

 younger state will fatten more satisfactorily. This younger 

 grass will differ chiefly in its less proportion of woody fibre, 

 which, iu the grasses analyzed by Professor Way, averaged 35 

 per cent. A portion of this will in the younger grass be re- 

 presented by sugar, starch, &c. ; their per centsge of mois- 

 ture is also greater. 



There are no grounds whatever for assigning to the younger 

 grasses a greater percentage of albuminous matter or flesh- 

 forming principle. 



The proportion of woody fibre is doubtless considerably in- 

 fluenced by the quickness of growth also, to which I have 

 called attention in a former number of this journal, the plants 

 of quicker growth having a leas proportion of woody fibre, aud 

 more of starch, sugar, &c. And to this I am disposed in a 

 great degree to attribute the fattening properties of fertile 

 pastures in comparison with those on poorer soils — in corro- 

 boration of which I may state th-at I have, by dressing with 

 bones and other manures, inducing quickness of growth, con- 

 verted old store pastures on clay, on which cattle would graze 

 for a season with but little increase, into fattening pastures. 

 Mr. Garnett also, of Wharfeside, near Otley, has found a like 

 effect from top-dressing pasture with guano, at the rate of 1 

 cwt., and 1 cwt. common salt per acre for three seasons in 

 succession ; this pasture on alluvial loam carries in consequence 

 50 per cent, more cattle and fattens them much more quickly 

 than before. Mr. Garnett attributes this not solely to the in- 

 creased produce, but also to the improved quality of the grass, 

 which in my estimation will iu a great measure be owing to 

 the greater percentage of sugar, starch, &c. 



Assuming that cattle whilst on pasture require an equal 

 quantity of solid matter as when supplied with 175 lbs. turnips 

 and 5 lbs. of straw per day, they would consume 23G5 lbs., 

 or 4,290 lbs. in 2 i weeks, and taking into account that pas- 



* Vide Lehmaan, Cavendish Society's Ed., vol. iii. 



tures have some admixture of perennial clovers, which are 

 richer in albuminous matter than the natural grasses, we may 

 compute the percentage of albumen as increased to 12 per 

 cent. Thus the 4,290 lbs. consumed in 24 weeks will contain 

 of albuminous matter 516 lbs.; that in the turnips with straw 

 is computed at 516-60. 



These inquiries tend to show that the increase of oil-cake 

 aud other substances, rich iu albuminous matter, in the more 

 advanced stages of feeding, has no other effect, so far as the 

 nitrogenous element is concerned, than to enrich the manure ; 

 they tend likewise to show that the gain of weight in fatten- 

 ing ia much more due than has hitherto been supposed, to the 

 oil and other respiratory or fat-forming ingredients of the 

 food. 



I compute the gain of fat per week as consisting of — 



Loose fat, or tallow 3 lbs.' 



Suet, or fat in the loin 1 



Fat mixed with meat aud sold as beef . . 7 



II 



Nor do I think this an over-estimate, aa it will be admitted 

 that the gain of carcase fat, independent of the loose fat or 

 tallow, is greater than that of flesh. The whole of the ex- 

 terior of the carcase immediately under the skin is covered 

 with a layer of fat, which, when the beast is lean, scarcely ex- 

 ceeds ^ to \ inch in thickness, whilst in fattening it increases 

 frequently to 1^, i. e. sixfold or upwards. The fatty portions 

 throughout increase also, and the flesh becomes intermixed 

 with fat, and assumes what is termed the mottled appearance, 

 which is the characteristic of beef of prime quality. 



The 24 weeks will then show an increase of 264 lbs. of fat. 

 As the oil iu the turnips and straw is computed to be only 

 71*65 lbs., there does not remain a doubt on my mind that the 

 greater proportion of fat stored up in this course of feeding is 

 derived from the starch, sugar, &c. 



In computing the proportion of fat derived from starch, a 

 different relation obtains from what ia observed in its efficacy 

 for respiration, owing to the greater percentage of oxygen in 

 starch and sugar as compared with that in oil, oxygen being 

 required in much larger quantity than carbon or hydrogen in 

 the respiratory process. 



Oxygen. Carbon. Hydrogen, 



Starch and sugar contain on 



an average 51-36 .. 42-23 .. 6 41 



Fatoroil 1013.. 78-13.. 11-74 



The proportion of carbon to hydrogen in each is very similar, 

 beiug somewhat less than 7 of carbon to I of hydrogen, from 

 which it appears that nearly 2 lbs. of starch are requisite to 

 make 1 lb of solid fat, or about 90 of starch for 50 of fat. 



Physiologists attribute to fat, besides the maintenance of 

 heat, the property of facilitating digestion. Lehmann describes 

 fat as one of the most active agents in effecting the meta- 

 morphosis of food, aud confirms this by his own experiments, 

 and others by Elsiisser. 



It seems probable that the English feeder in fattening his 

 cattle, and the foreign cook who saturates the lean-fed beef of 

 his country wi'.h olive-oil, are alike unconsciously pursuing the 

 same object — that of rendering their material more easy of 

 digestion, and consequently more palatable. 



In my treatment of dairy cows I find it advantageous to 

 supply in addition to ordinary food, materials particularly rich 

 ia albuminous matter, and to give more in proportion to those 

 cows which give the largest yield of milk. 



My conclusions in regard to fattening ate, that by ordinary 

 food you can afford an adequate supply of albumen for the 

 maintenance and likewise for the increase in assimilation of 

 fibriue, and that the gain by fattening is in a great measure due 

 to the starch, sugar, and other fat-forming principles, in which 

 I include oil : without a due proportion of oil I should not ex- 

 pect success in fattening. 



lvalue for Feeding purposes of various articles of Food. — 

 I now propose to examine the composition of materials 

 chiefly used for feeding, and their efficacy for the produc- 

 tion of fat. I give the per-centage of starch, sugar, &c., 

 and reduce them to fat, tal<ing the proportion as 90 of starch, 

 sugar, &c., to 50 of fat. I supply likewise the per-centage 

 and value of their fertilizing constituents, which are of im- 

 portance to the farmer and feeder. The computations were 

 made on the materials in their usual state of dryness, except 

 in the case of turnips, which are taken as free from moisture, 



