FOOD AND FEEDING. 



397 



effect of mere accident must frequently have boen ascribed to the 

 effects of regimen. In a general way, it is acknowledged that an 

 adult animal, upon the ration that is known to be adequate for its 

 maintenance, returns at the same hour every day to the yesterday's 

 weight : this, however, is only strictly true in reference to a series 

 of weighings continued through a number of days, to make any 

 irregularity between one weighing and another disappear. 



With a view to discovering the amount of variation which an 

 animal experiences in point of weight when it is fed in the same 

 uniform manner, is foddered precisely at the same hours, &c., I 

 weighed a horse and a mare, which were leading the most regular 

 and unvaried life possible, for they were both employed in working 

 an exhausting machine for several days in succession, the weighings 

 being performed at noon each day before they were watered, and 

 from four to five hours after their breakfast. Here are the results 

 in a tabular form : 



Date of the weighings. 



Weight of the 

 horse. 



Weight of the 



16 December, 1841 

 17 



18 

 19 

 20 

 21 

 22 

 23 

 24 

 25 

 27 

 28 

 29 

 30 

 31 



Mean weights 



Maxima 



Minima 



Greatest difference above the mean 



Greatest difference below the mean 



Difference between the extreme weights- 



kii. 

 453.0 

 4.55.0 

 456.0 

 454.0 

 449.0 

 449.5 

 449.0 

 454.0 

 454.0 

 459.5 

 448.0 

 452.0 

 454.0 

 448.0 

 452.5 



lbs. avoird. 



996.6 



998.8 

 1010.9 

 985.6 

 994.4 



kil. 

 494.0 

 497.0 

 497.0 

 497.5 

 487.0 

 487.5 

 492.0 

 496.5 

 484.5 



452.0 994.4 



459.5 1010.9 



448.0 985.6 



491.8 

 497.5 

 484.0 



16.5 



8.8 



7.7 



1086.8 



1092.7 



1065.S 



490.5 



496.0 



491.0 



484.0 1064.6 



491.0 



1081.9 

 1092.7 

 1064.8 



10.8 

 17.1 

 6.3 



Another horse (Old Fox) 12 years old, taken fasting, at four 

 o'clock in the morning of the 28th of April, 1842, weighed 1051 

 lbs. ; at the same hour of the 29th, he weighed 1060 lbs. ; ditto on 

 the 29lh, 1038 lbs. 



It is obvious, therefore, that a horse foddered most regularly and 

 weighed at the same hour, nevertheless presents differences in his 

 weight that may amount to nearly 30 lbs. ; and which, without as- 

 surance of this fact, we should be disposed to ascribe to the effect 

 of our regimen. This is enough to satisfy us that in all experi- 

 ments upon feeding, it is absolutely necessary to carry them on for 

 some considerable time, in order to escape, or at all events to lessen 

 the errors that would be introduced into the conclusions by these ac- 

 cidental differences of weight. They may vary with reference to 



34 



