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204 



THE GENESEE FAEMER. 



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matter, little fat will be produced ; so tliat it may be laid down as a rule, other things 

 beino- equal, that the more nitrogen a food contains, the greater is its value as food for ani- 

 mals. If an animal were fed on non-nitrogenous substances alone — upon tat, oil, starch, 

 gum, or sugar — it would be perfectly imi)ossilile for it to grow, to work, or to live. 

 Arrow-root, starch, and all other things of that kind, by themselves, are insufficient to 

 sustain life, — they may do very well to produce animal heat, but it would be perfectly 

 impossible to live on them alone ; they must be united with other material containing 

 nitrogen, which alone can supply the daily waste of the muscles. Every motion which 

 an animal makes with any muscle, causes a proportionate destruction of that muscle. 

 At the time he makes the motion, the oxygen attacks the muscle and dissolves a por- 

 tion of it equivalent to the amount of motion and force produced. This is a method of 

 obtaining animal heat which is independent of the non-nitrogenous matters supplied in 

 the food, the carbon and hydrogen of the muscles being used for this purpose, while the 

 nitrogen is separated from the blood by the kidneys, and thrown out of the system in a 

 liquid form. 



From these facts it is evident that both rest and warmth are necessary for an animal's 

 increase and proper development. In fatting an animal for the butcher, we of course do 

 not wish a constant and rapid transformation of the muscles of the body, which is the 

 case if the animal takes much exercise. Neither do we wish the fat-forming principles 

 of the food used, to produce unnecessary heat ; for as it must necessarily consume a 

 certain amount of the elements of respiration in order to produce heat, and as fat can 

 only be laid on in proportion to what remains after this necessary production of animal 

 heat, it is quite clear that fatting animals should always be so sheltered as to be enabled 

 to use the elements of respiration which are found in their food, so as to produce the 

 best possible effect : and as every motion of the animal produces a corresponding de- 

 struction of the muscles, it is quite clear that the more animals move about, the more of 

 the elements of nutrition will they require to supply what has been wasted. Therefore, 

 in fatting animals, they should be allowed no more exercise than is absolutely necessary 

 for health, and be kept comfortably warm. It is known that animals often asleep gain 

 more flesh than others which are more wakeful ; and that if they are kept in a dark 

 place, they are more disposed to be drowsy, and consequently to lay on fat, than if 

 exposed to the light. We must not, however, treat rearing animals in the same way as 

 the fatting ones. We want the former to have a good constitution, and to increase their 

 muscles and general size ; and this can only be secured by giving them a considerable 

 amount of exercise in the open aii-, and giving them as much food of a nutritious kind 

 as they can eat. 



The effect of common salt on tatting animals is not generally understood. Salt is 

 composed of chlorine and sodium. The bile of an animal is a sort of carbonaceous, 

 resinous compound, held in solution by soda. The eft'ect of salt is to enable the 

 animal to form bile ; without it in the food, no bile could be formed, and bile is neces- 

 sary to the healthy action of the animal functions. But mark — any means which pro- 

 duces an excess of bile, is merely robbing an animal of a portion of its food, and pre- 

 venting the formation of a quantity of fat ; because the bile is formed of fat, oil, gum, 

 sugar, &c., and really represents and embodies the carbonaceous materials destined for 

 immediate consumption. The more bile we produce, the less fat we produce ; and the 

 more salt we give animals, the more bile we allow them to produce. A cow eats about 

 four ounces of salt in her food per day, which is contained in the saline ingredients of 

 the food itself, and would appear to be sufficient for bile-forming purposes. For grow- 

 ing stock, salt may often be an advantage, benefitting their health and increasing 

 their appetite ; but we doubt the economy of giving salt to fitting stock. 



On the subject of cooking food for animals there is much diversity of opinion, some 

 condemning it altogether, while others have exaggerated ideas of its value. If nutritive 



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