THE NATURAL DIET. I? 



changes be going on which must sooner or later result 

 disastrously. 



And now to the conclusions. Physicians and sanita- 

 rians after drawing from the accumulated experience of 

 men under various circumstances have generally agreed 

 that with healthy people living in the open country, not 

 working very hard, and having an abundance of good 

 wholesome vegetable foods, meat is tiot necessary ; while 

 on the other hand it is necessary where the air is not pure, 

 the wear and tear on the nervous system is great, and the 

 work is hard. 



Practically the same conclusion must be reached with 

 dogs after an intelligent study of them under various con- 

 ditions. While their nature is such they must have some 

 meat always, the quantity must be adjusted to the amount 

 of work given them. And notwithstanding the potency 

 of the force of habit which enables a dog to accommodate 

 himself to quite decided changes from his natural diet, if 

 he has been very active and accustomed to much meat 

 from puppyhood up, and the quantity of this food is sud- 

 denly reduced and he is given a diet composed largely of 

 vegetables, and allowed to continue to take as much exer- 

 cise as usual, he will surely fall off in condition. Now 

 apply the same radical treatment to another dog that has 

 been accustomed to a vegetable diet and give him meat in 

 large quantities but no more work, and evil results are as 

 certain. 



Obviously therefore although men differ widely on this 

 matter, and one contends that a diet of meat is best for 

 his dogs, while another stoutly maintains that his require 

 this food only in very small quantities and that vegetables 

 and starches are nearly sufficient for their support, it does 

 not follow that one or both must be wrong. 



I^imiting the question to them, both may be right, for 



