6 HORTUS GRAMINEUS WOBURNENSIS. 



in every 480 grains of cake. Those cakes which had the bright- 

 est texture when newly broken, afforded the most nutritive matter. 

 The common field turnips also differ in the quantity of nutritive 

 matter they afford, which is in proportion to the size of the roots, 

 or according as their texture is solid or spongy : the largest roots 

 contain proportionally the least quantity of nutritive matter, and 

 the middle-sized the greatest. These are minute circumstances in 

 experiments on a small scale, but when conducted on a large scale, 

 they become objects of magnitude. A nearer coincidence be- 

 tween the results of the two modes of experiment for the respec- 

 tive oxen, could not therefore be expected ; but the total weight 

 of flesh gained in this experiment, nearly agrees with the weight 

 of nutritive matter contained in the food consumed by the oxen. 

 The weight of the different kinds of food consumed, amounts to 

 20,656 lbs., which being of a middle quality, as assumed in the 

 foregoing calculations, affords, by the chemical process, (see the 

 Table), 2020 lbs. of nutritive matter. 



The total weight of flesh gained, is 2058 lbs. 

 It is therefore evident, that if the weight of nutritive matter 

 contained in the various kinds of food employed in this experi- 

 ment, had been previously ascertained as above, it would have 

 shewn the weight of flesh which that food was capable of form- 

 ing under such circumstances, with the difference only of 38 lbs. in 

 2058 lbs. But, as was before observed, the different powers of 

 cattle to profit by food, is subject to the control of many local 

 circumstances; their comparative value, therefore, in this respect, 

 can only be satisfactorily ascertained by the process of feeding 

 and weighing; and for this cause likewise it will appear, that the 

 comparative value, or nutritive powers of the food, can only be 

 accurately ascertained by chemical investigation. The grami- 

 neous dung of cattle being merely the grass divested of all its nutri- 

 tive matter, by submitting this dung to a similar process as that 

 which determines the nutritive powers of the grass, the results 

 prove what those parts of grass are that are retained in the body 

 of the animal for the purposes of life. The following results of 

 experiments made on the dung of sheep and deer, will be suffi- 

 cient to exemplify this. 



1920 grains of the mixed leaves of cock's-foot grass, ray-grass, 

 and white clover, afforded of soluble matter fifty-three grains, 

 which consisted of mucilage, sugar, gluten, bitter extractive, 

 and saline matters. 



