446 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



the fat and a portion of the muscles of the animal on trial 

 will be consumed in the support of respiration before its 

 life terminates. In case digestible nitrogenous constituents 

 are excluded from the diet, the formation of new blood and 

 flesh from the food consumed ceases ; for the animal system, 

 according to our present state of information, is not capable 

 of producing its principal constituents from anything else 

 than the nitrogenous constituents of the plants. 



Herbivorous animals receive these substances directly 

 from the plants ; carnivorous animals indirectly, by feeding 

 on herbivorous animals. We feed, at present, our farm- 

 stock too frequently, without a due consideration of the gen- 

 eral natural law of nutrition ; to deal out our fodder crops 

 only with mere reference to name, instead of making 

 ourselves more familiar with their composition and their 

 particular quality, deprives us even of the chance of draw- 

 ing an intelligent conclusion from our present system of 

 feeding. 



To compound the animal diet with reference to the par- 

 ticular organization of the animal, its age and its functions, 

 is of no more importance than to select the fodder sub- 

 stances with reference to its special wants, as far as the 

 absolute and relative quantity of the three essential groups 

 of food constituents are concerned. 



The peculiar character of our home-raised fodder articles 

 is apt to conceal their special deficiency for the various pur- 

 poses they are used for in general farm management. They 

 all contain the three essential food constituents, yet in 

 widely varying proportions ; and they ought, therefore, to 

 be supplemented in different directions to secure their full 

 economical value. To resort to more or less of the same 

 fodder article to meet the special wants, may meet the case 

 as far as an efficient support of the animal is concerned, yet 

 it can only in exceptional cases be considered good economy. 



To satisfy the craving of the stomach and to feed a nutri- 

 tious food are both requirements of a healthy animal diet, 

 which, each in its own way, may be complied with. The 

 commercial fodder substances — as oil-cakes, mill refuse 

 brans, and our steadily-increasing supply of refuse materials 

 from breweries, starch works, glucose factories, etc. — are 



