406 Of Food. 



ticularly by preparing their food by operations similar 

 to those of cookery; and to these improvements it is 

 most probably owing that stall-feeding has, in that 

 country, been so universally successful. 



It has long been a practice in Germany for those 

 who fatten bullocks for the butcher, or feed milch- 

 cows, to give them frequently what is called a drank 

 or drink, which is a kind of pottage, prepared differ- 

 ently in different parts of the country, and in the 

 different seasons, according to the greater facility with 

 which one or other of the articles occasionally em- 

 ployed in the composition of it may be procured, and 

 according to the particular fancies of individuals. Many 

 feeders make a great secret of the composition of their 

 drinks ; and some have, to my knowledge, carried their 

 refinement so far as actually to mix brandy in them in 

 small quantities, and pretend to have found their advan- 

 tage in adding this costly ingredient. 



The articles most commonly used are bran, oatmeal, 

 brewers' grains, mashed potatoes, mashed turnips, rye 

 meal, and barley meal, with a large proportion of water. 

 Sometimes two or three or more of these articles are 

 united in forming a drink ; and, of whatever ingredients 

 the drink is composed, a large proportion of salt is 

 always added to it. 



There is, perhaps, nothing new in this method of 

 feeding cattle with liquid mixtures ; but the manner in 

 which these drinks are now prepared in Germany is, I 

 believe, quite new, and shows what I wish to prove, 

 that cooking renders food really more nutritive. 



These drinks were formerly given cold, but it was 

 afterwards discovered that they were more nourishing 

 when given warm ; and of late their preparation is 



