420 STEAMING FOOD FOR STOCK. 



am satisfied that the advantages of steaming have hardly 

 been overrated. 



The theory of the process (in a nutshell) is this : Cattle 

 and horses in a state of nature live the year round on succu- 

 lent green herbage. When the cold weather begins to cut 

 short the supply in the more northern latitudes, they migrate 

 toward the south. Man steps in and keeps them in the 

 colder climate. He substitutes dried grass for fresh grass. 

 Steaming will, in a great measure, restore hay to the condi- 

 tion of green grass. Also, many constituents of hay, straw, 

 &c., are insoluble and indigestible. By the action of heat 

 and moisture they become soluble, or at least are reduced to 

 a condition in which they are easily available to the digest- 

 ive organs of animals. Starch-grains, according to the best 

 authorities, are coated with a layer or cuticle which resists 

 to a great extent the action of the juices of the stomach, 

 while its interior parts, could they be directly exposed, 

 would readily be assimilated ; therefore, as heat causes the 

 interior of the grains to swell and burst their coating, ex- 

 posing themselves on the surface, as the interior parts of a 

 kernel of corn do in " popping," the process of steaming 

 (or any cooking) makes the starchy part of food more readily 

 available. 



Examinations of the droppings of animals fed on cooked 

 and uncooked food furnish results which confirm the fore- 

 going opinion. 



Carefully conducted experiments on animals of equal 



