PREGNANCY IN ANIMALS 129 



flesh she carried had been made from suitable foods, she 

 would then have been possessed of a reserve supply as it 

 were from which to nourish her young in addition to the 

 milk produced from the food fed. As in the former in- 

 stance she would lose flesh but not to anything like the same 

 degree, owing to the extent of the reserve in flesh. Her 

 young, therefore, would be nourished not only by milk, but 

 by the reserve food in her system transformed into milk. 

 In the second instance, therefore, she would certainly 

 nourish her young much better than in the first instance. 

 While doing so, she would be possessed of greater vigor 

 than in the first instance, and this would have a favorable 

 bearing on the processes of digestion. 



The advantages from maintaining a good condition of 

 flesh in pregnant animals, therefore, include the following : 

 (i) THey have a reserve fund stored in the system which 

 is drawn upon for the advantage of the young after they 

 are born; (2) they are possessed of more vigor which is 

 turned to good account in the processes of digesting and 

 assimilating the large amounts of food fed; (3) they are 

 much less liable to reach that low condition of flesh which 

 is not favorable to high production or profitable breeding. 



Abundant flesh, however, produced by food highly car- 

 bonaceous in character, would be unfavorable to impregna- 

 tion, and if maintained subsequently by feeding similar 

 food, would also be unfavorable to the development of the 

 foetus and to the proper feeding of the young animal when 

 born. Such foods fed freely to dams in low condition when 

 their young are born, will aid in maintaining fresh in them, 

 but at the expense of the progeny, as such food is not 

 favorable to milk-giving. 



