FEEDING OF ANIMALS. 281 



59.6 per cent. There is, therefore, a lower percentage of 

 total dry substance in the store sheep than in the store ox, 

 owing to the less amount of mineral and nitrogenous matter 

 in the store sheep. There is, on the other hand, a higher 

 percentage of dry substance in the very fat sheep than in the 

 very fat ox, owing to the higher percentage of fat in the 

 sheep. Lastly, in the sheep the percentage of water dimin- 

 ishes from the earliest to the latest stage from 60.8 to 

 only 35.2. 



the results relating to the composition of pigs showed a 

 reduction in the percentage of mineral matter from 2.93 in 

 the store to only 1.14 in the very fat condition ; and a re- 

 duction in that of nitrogenous substance from 14.4 in the 

 store to 9.5 in the very fat state. But, instead of a reduction, 

 there is an increase in the percentage of fat from 18.6 in the 

 store to 51.6, or to more than half the weight of the body, in 

 the very fat condition ; and there is an increase in the per- 

 centage of total dry substance from 35.9 in the store to 62.2 

 in the very fat condition; and (excluding contents of stomachs, 

 &c.) a reduction in the percentage of water from 58.6 to 34.4. 



It may be observed that in no case do the percentages of 

 total dry substance and of water make up 100 ; the difference 

 being represented by the contents of stomachs and intestines, 

 the amounts of which found in the animals actually analysed 

 are taken as the basis of the estimates for the amounts in the 

 other conditions, just as in the case of the other constituents 

 of the body. 



Let us next summarise very briefly the results of the appli- Compost- 

 cation of these data as to the composition of the animals in J^cmwS 

 different conditions, for the purpose of estimating the com- live-weight. 

 position of their increase in passing from one condition to 

 another. 



First referring to oxen, the composition of their increase 

 during the feeding process has been estimated in the case of 

 the recorded results of actual practical feeding, in some cases 

 of large numbers of animals, and over considerable periods of 

 time. Other cases have been those of results obtained at 

 Eothamsted, or under Eothamsted superintendence, mostly in 

 direct feeding experiments, but sometimes in the feeding of 

 animals in the ordinary practice of the farm. 



Eeviewing the whole of the results, the indication was, 

 that the composition of the increase of moderately fattened 

 oxen during a final fattening period of several months will 

 contain about, or little more than, 1£ per cent of mineral 

 matter, seldom more than 7 to 8 per cent of nitrogenous sub- 

 stance and seldom as little as 60, and generally nearer 65 per 

 cent of fat ; whilst the total dry substance of the increase 



