312 



THE ROTHAMSTED EXPERIMENTS. 



Conclu- 

 sions with 

 sheep. 



Carbohy- 

 drates re- 

 instated. 



roots. Assuming, however, that the amides of the roots 

 would, as such, have a certain, though not an equal, value 

 with the albuminoids for fat-formation ; or that, as protectors 

 of other constituents, they may contribute indirectly to such 

 formation, there would still remain a considerable amount 

 of the produced fat to be derived from other sources — that is, 

 from carbohydrates. 



Upon the whole, then, although the evidence of fat-forma- 

 tion from the carbohydrates of the food is admittedly less 

 direct in the case of sheep than in that of pigs, yet, when the 

 foregoing results are carefully considered with due regard to 

 the facts which have been discussed, no doubt can be enter- 

 tained that there was a considerable formation of fat from 

 carbohydrates in both of the series of experiments with sheep. 

 And when it is borne in mind that neither of these series of 

 experiments was arranged for the purpose of elucidating this 

 particular question, it must be admitted that the results are 

 more definite and conclusive than might have been anticipated. 

 Nor can there be any doubt that if experiments were made 

 with oxen under suitable conditions, they would yield equally 

 conclusive evidence on the point. Indeed, as anticipated by 

 Henneberg in the observations he made at Hamburg in 1876, 

 we may consider that the carbohydrates are re-instated in 

 their position in the formation of the fat of ruminants as well 

 as in that of pigs. 



Views of 



German 



chemists. 



Summary on the Sources of the Fat of the Animals of 

 the Farm. 



It was in 1865 — that is, nearly thirty years ago — that 

 Voit first called in question the then very generally accepted 

 opinions on the subject ; and as his evidence, derived from 

 experiments with the omnivorous dog, accumulated, he more 

 and more urged that his conclusions were equally applicable 

 to herbivora. His views on the point came to be very 

 generally adopted by agricultural chemists in Germany, and 

 in 1874 Professor Emil von Wolff adopted them, but with 

 some reservation so far as pigs are concerned, in his text- 

 book, entitled, Die rationelle Futterung der landwirthschaft- 

 lichen Nutzthiere ; auf Grundlage der neueren thierphysio- 

 logischen Forschungen. 



It has been already stated that, in the discussion at Ham- 

 burg in 1876, Wolff more clearly admitted that pigs might 

 behave exceptionally in the matter; whilst Henneberg as- 

 sumed that ruminants also would prove to be exceptions to 

 the application of Voit's views. 



Since that date, a number of experiments have been made 



