148 FOOD FOR FATTENING ANIMALS. 



Here is clearly a new class of food needed, con 

 taining not only phosphates, saline substances, starch, 

 etc., as before, but also an increased proportion of 

 protein bodies, and above all an abundance of oily or 

 fatty matters. The vegetable fats or oils, as has been 

 said, do not greatly differ in their composition from the 

 animal fats, some of them, in fact, being almost iden 

 tical : of course, then, the transformations necessary 

 to convert them into the various parts of the body are 

 easily accomplished. 



It has been argued by some scientific men, that 

 these vegetable oils are really of not so much import 

 ance as is here ascribed to them : they say that the 

 chief part of the fat in our domestic animals, is derived 

 from the starch and sugar contained in their food. 

 The fact already mentioned, that both of these sub 

 stances may be converted into fat, and doubtless are 

 so converted to a large extent, might seem to coun 

 tenance such views, had we not direct practical evi 

 dence that the vegetable food w r hich is most oily in 

 its nature, is found to be most valuable in fattening. 

 It is only necessary to instance indian meal, oil cake, 

 linseed jelly, etc., as compared, weight for weight, in 

 feeding, with rye, oats, barley, potatoes, or turnips. 

 All experience shows that the first named varieties of 

 food are by far the best. 



Starch, sugar, and gum, especially the two latter, 

 unquestionably aid materially in fattening, and will 

 fatten where there is little else given, but at the same 

 time not so speedily or economically as more oily food 

 would have done. A small portion of this latter food, 

 mixed with larger quantities of the more w r atery or 

 less concentrated nutriment, is found an extremely 

 good way of feeding. Thus, in England, for an ox, 

 as many turnips as the animal will eat, are given, with 

 four or five pounds of oil cake per day. They also use 

 linseed jelly, made by boiling the linseed in water, and 



