FOODS. 



91 



Taking the heat-producing capacity of maize, calculated 

 in this manner, as 100, the values found for other foods- 

 will be as follows : — 



These figures are to be taken only as approximations to 

 the truth ; their correctness mainly depends upon the 

 accuracy of the digestion experiments with ruminant 

 animals described in the last section. The fisrures given 

 for those foods containing amides, and salts of organic 

 acids, are undoubtedly too high. Linseed cake, from the 

 large proportion of fat and albuminoids which it contains, 

 would be expected to occupy a much higher position in 

 the table ; its lower rank is due to its imperfect digesti- 

 bility. The table on page 80 shows that while 20 per 

 cent, of linseed cake remains undigested, and therefore 

 useless to the animal, only 12 per cent, of maize, and IG 

 per cent, of beans are thus wasted. 



The general result is to show that the heat and work 

 producing power of the more perfectly digested foods is 

 nearly equal, if we assume the same quantity of dry food 

 to be supplied in each case. 



We should gather from these calculations that an equal 



