128 THE DOMESTIC SHEEP. 



this study, carefully made, will easily form the practice to 

 be followed. 



"Out of nothing, nothing comes," is another ancient piece 

 of wisdom. We can never get anything out of nothing. We 

 must feed a sheep before we can expect it to return to us 

 anything we may expect. The science of this art of feeding, 

 first teaches us of what an animal is composed, by what its 

 life its very breath is supported; of what its flesh, boue ; 

 wool, and every other part of it, or its products, consists; 

 what is w r anted is the natural functions of the animal, and 

 thus precisely what food the animal should receive in any 

 specified time to support it in the manner due to our ex- 

 pectation of profit from it. In short the figures which the 

 scientific expert gives us in these respects are like the book 

 accounts of a business man, in which a person is charged 

 with what he receives, and credited with what he returns. 

 And by a great amount of accurate experiment we have got 

 this matter down to such a fine point, that the shepherd as 

 any other feeder of animals may fix on a certain ration for 

 his sheep, and so get every advantage he desires for their 

 welfare and profitable use, at the least possible cost. 



To ascertain the character of the food best fitted for sheep 

 we may begin by considering the actual composition of an 

 animal, which weighed 154 Ibs,, of which the fleece weighed 

 ten pounds. 



The body is made up of: 



LBS. OZ. GRAINS. 



Oxygen Ill 



Hydrogen 14 



Carbon 21 



Nitrogen 3 10 



Phosphorus 1 2 88 



Lime 2 



Sulphur 219 



Chlorine - 2 47 



Sodium 2 116 



Potasium 290 



Iron '. 100 



Magnesium 12 



Silica - 2 



The ordinary compound materials of the body of the 

 sheep are given as follows: 



LBS. OK. 



Water Ill 



Gelatin 15 



Albumen 4 3 



Fibrin 4 4 



Fat 12 



Ashes 7 9 



