220 THE COMPLETE GRAZIER. BOOK i. 



to suppose that the contents of a small tin measure holding about half- 

 a-pint of these substances can be used to replace one-half of the ordi- 

 nary food of an ox or a horse ; and their inventors, seeing that as soon 

 as these facts became known to the farmer their position would become 

 untenable, have taken refuge behind the aromatics and bitters they 

 contain, and have asserted that their effect is condimental, and that 

 they act by promoting digestion, and causing the animal to extract and 

 assimilate a larger quantity of the nutritive matters of its ordinary 

 food. They have obviously gone upon the commonly-received opinion 

 which attributes to salt and similar substances this effect a view 

 which the facts which I have already detailed by no means counte- 

 nance. There is, in fact, not the slighest reason to suppose that the 

 substances contained in these foods have any such effect. They con- 

 sist, in addition to the grains already mentioned, chiefly of fenugreek 

 and caraway seeds, and one of those I examined contained so large a 

 quantity of turmeric that it might almost be described as a curry- 

 powder. Nothing definite is known regarding the action of these sub- 

 stances on the system, there being no experiments such as those by 

 which the effects of salt have been determined ; and there is no evi- 

 dence to support the view that they are capable of producing a more 

 complete assimilation of the food, but every reason to believe the 

 reverse. In fact, when a dispassionate view of the matter is taken, I 

 think it can scarcely be doubted that, if small quantities of caraway or 

 other aromatic seeds were given to animals, and their weights carefully 

 determined, it would be found that they are quite without effect. 



" It must be noticed that there have been no attempts on the part of 

 the ' discoverers ' to produce such accurate experiments in support of 

 their views, although there have been plenty of general testimonials, such 

 as every quack medicine can produce by the score, and abundance of vague 

 declamation regarding their wonderful effects. The plain fact is, that 

 science does not give the slightest support to the idea that these sub- 

 stances have any effect whatever, and in saying so I am only stating an 

 opinion in which all chemists will concur, and which has, indeed, been 

 often stated before. Its accuracy has just as often been denied by the 

 makers of these articles, but it has never been disproved, nor will that 

 be possible until they can produce the precise results of trustworthy 

 experiments in support of their substances. But even admitting the 

 accuracy of all the statements put forth by the makers of these foods, 

 there is another question which merits attention, and that is the price 

 at which they are sold. I have already mentioned that they are com- 

 posed chiefly of some of the more familiar foods, mixed with a small 

 quantity of aromatics. The exact proportion in which these latter 

 substances exist in them cannot be accurately determined, but it is not 

 large, and does not generally exceed 10 per cent. Indian corn, carob 

 beans, &c., cost about 81. or 9L per ton, and fenugreek and caraway 

 seeds about 20Z. to 25Z. A mixture of nine tons of the former and one 

 of the latter should therefore be sold at Wl. or III. per ton, in place of 

 20Z. or SOL, the price actually charged ; so that now, if these goods do 

 produce the alleged effect, the farmer is made to pay for them three 



