646 



It has been claimed that with increased water consumption and con- 

 sequent increase of the <iuautity of blood in the body there is a corre- 

 sponding increase of work required to keep the blood in circulation, and 

 that for this purpose more of the energy of the food will be used. But 

 the exact experimental knowledge of this subject is too vague to allow 

 of exact estimate of the consumption of energy. 



The most important disadvantage from the excessive water consump- 

 tion is perhaps the increased metabolism of nitrogen which is induced 

 thereby. In ])roportiun as mure nitrogen is transtbnned, less is stored 

 in the body, and in consequence there is less gain or more loss of (lean) 

 Hesh. In referring to this as an established principle, the authors cite 

 the results of a number of obser vatic ins by Mares* with men, which 

 implj^ that the increased nitrogen metabolism with increased water con- 

 sumption is greater the smaller the quantity of protein in the food. 

 Instances are cited from the experiments by the Halberstiidter agricul- 

 tural society, in which increase of water in the ration was acconqianied 

 by diminution in gain or by actual loss of live weight of the animals. 

 The results, as tabulated, were as follows: 



Water in tnldJ foddrr: chtuiijf in lirv Wfiyht ami milk /i mil ikiiI pt-r hrad fur day. 



Srrics H, fattciiini; oxrli. 

 Series A, niilcli c<i« s 



Water con- 

 siinied. 



Potind*. 



85.6 

 97.9 

 43.3 

 62.7 

 81.6 



Ouin or lo»8 

 in live weight. 



Pounds. 



3.i9 



'J. 75 



1.29 



0.21 



—0.01 



MUk yieJd. 



Pound*. 



27.39 

 29.61 

 31.13 



"We can not estimate exactly the extent of tlie untavorable elVect 

 of a given excess of water in the food upon tlie live weight of an 

 animal, but there is no doubt that a large amount does interfere with 

 the storage of protein to a certain and probably very considerable 

 extent. • ♦ • AVhen the excess is rej>eated day after day its etiect 

 ui)on the destruction of i»rotoplasni may be such as to cause notable 

 loss of flesh. To prevent this loss larger quantities of protein must be 

 supplied in the food, and its place can not be filh'd by carbohydrates 

 and fats." 



Special disadrantfif/es of orerfcrmentcd food. — The authors call atten- 

 tion to the bad eflects of the ferment«'d ditVusion rcsidiu' ui)on dairy 

 products and its tendency to induce disea.se. The considerations are 

 of interest as illustrating the disadvantages of overfermented silage in 

 general. 



Manifold investigations show that the ill smelling and ill-tasting fer- 

 mentation products injure the taste and kee|>iug (|ualities of milk, 

 butter, and cheese. It is not that they pass directly into the milk 

 through the lacteal glands, "but in the stable in which the material 

 is fed the microscopic organisms that cause the fermentation are 



• Ungarischer Arch. f. Medizin, 1888; also Centralbl. f. agr. Chem., 1891, p. 175. 



