FOO 



FOR 



capable of sustaining life by them- 

 selves. 



The noii-azotizcd contain no nitro- 

 gen. Starch, sujjar, and gum are 

 the principal of these ; they are, by 

 digestion, conveyed into the system, 

 and changed so as to proihico the 

 heat which maintains life. E.Kposure 

 to cold calls for a greater consump- 

 tion of tiiese principles than in a 

 warm situation. Potatoes, beets, 

 carrots, and roots generally excel in 

 these principles, hut no veg<>tahle 

 fodder is deficient in them. Tliese 

 cannot alone sustain life. 



Fatty, or oleaginous food, adds fat 

 to the body, which, in sickness and 

 other circumstances, also contributes 

 to the maintenance of animal heat. 

 They are incapable of sustaining life. 

 See Fattening. 



The food usually consumed is a 

 mixture of these in different propor- 

 tions ; thus, corn meal consists of 9 

 per cent, oil, 12 azotized principles, 

 50 non-azotized, the rest being water, 

 husk, and saline matter ; but the 

 true value of any food is directly as 

 the nitrogen prmciples it contains. 

 See Fodders. 



Besides these substances, others 

 are in less measure useful as food, 

 viz. : salt, which assists digestion ; 

 jelly, or gelatin, which repairs waste 

 in the cellular tissue ; bone earth (as 

 it exists in the food), which repairs 

 the waste of the bones. Vinegar, al- 

 cohol, the juices of acid fruits, are 

 also food of the non-azotized kind. 



In perfect digestion, these varieties 

 of food are taken up into the system, 

 and the husk, certain useless salts, 

 and water rejected ; but it often oc- 

 curs that the proportion of fat or 

 starchy matters is so great, that much 

 is rejected, unaltered, by the bowels. 



The amount of food necessary to 

 maintain an animal in ordinary exer- 

 cise is rather less than two per cent. 

 of the weight in hay, or its equiva- 

 lent. See Feed. A man requires 45 

 ounces of wheat bread, or 11 of beef 

 or mutton, daily, to maintain strength. 

 An ox of 1000 pounds requires 20 

 pounds of hay, or the following equiv- 

 alents : 

 Cc2 



120 His. of turnips, 

 115 " straw, 

 75 " carrots, 

 67 " potatrms, 



17 lbs. of clover hay, 

 12 " barley, 

 10 " oats, 

 5 " beans. 



The time of feeding should be reg- 

 ular : an hour allowed working ani- 

 mals to digest, Wiiter given afl(;r\vard, 

 and changes in tlie food made occa- 

 sionally, but not suddenly, especially 

 to green fodders. 



FOOD OF PLANTS. Plants re- 

 quire water, carbonic acid gas, oxy- 

 gen, ammonia, or other compounds 

 containing nitrogen and saline mat- 

 ters ; these they derive partly from 

 the air and soil. See l/ic.se bodies. 



FOOT. A measure of 12 inches. 

 Horse's foot. See Horse and Shoeing. 



FORAGE. Provender, fodder. 



FORAMEN. In anatomy, a hole 

 or perforation througii a bone. 



FORCE. Anything that produces 

 motion or pressure. Mechanical for- 

 ces are those which produce palpable 

 movements, as gravitation, the de- 

 scent of weights upon bodies, &c. 

 Chemical forces are those producing 

 molecular movements, which are 

 only perceptible by their effects ; 

 they are heat, light, tithonieity, elec- 

 tricity ; these, however, occasional- 

 ly give rise to more extensive move- 

 ments. 



FORCEPS. Instruments acting 

 in the same way as pincers. 



FORCING. In horticulture, for- 

 warding the grov.th of plants, fruits, 

 &c. ; conducted in glazed houses, 

 pits, frames, or in cellars for mush- 

 rooms, celery, endive, &e. Heat is 

 one great essential ; but light and air 

 are also of the first importance to 

 success, except whh mushrooms, or 

 in blanching. Forcing houses and 

 frames, therefore, face the south, to 

 receive most light ; but during very 

 cold weather the sudden action of 

 the sun's heat is to be guarded against 

 if there be the least frost within the 

 house ; hence, in green-houses for 

 vines and fruits, it is common to cov- 

 er tlie glass with matting during the 

 depth of winter, to protect the trees 

 from sudden heat. 



FORCING PITS. Pits of brick, 

 masonry, or wood sunk in the earth 

 to contain the fermenting materials 



305 



