Miscellaneous Studies — Nutrition Problems. 95 



It is shown that the muscles resulting from exclusive corn feed- 

 ing had more fat and less water and protein than the others. The 

 corn ration and the corn and germ oil meal ration, both low in 

 mineral matter, produced muscle lower in ash than the other ra- 

 tions. While the muscles from the pigs fed exclusively on corn 

 contained less protein than the others and were therefore really 

 smaller in size, because of the high percentage of fat they carried 

 they would, on cooking, furnish meat which would be more juicy 

 and toothsome than that of the other lots. 



117. Discussion of the pig-feeding experiments.— In analyzing the 

 two preceding experiments we should hold that the pigs given feeds 

 rich in crude protein and mineral matter developed bodies that 

 were normal in skeleton, muscles, and all internal organs. Those 

 fed corn exclusively were prevented from building a normal body 

 structure because of the insufficient supply of crude protein and 

 mineral matter in their food. We should not forget that all parts 

 of the normally nurtured body attain a certain normal develop- 

 ment which cannot be materially increased beyond a constitutional 

 limit. Only in a small degree can the stockman in a single gen- 

 eration increase by what he may feed the size of the bones and 

 the muscles of the animals under his care. On the other hand, 

 Nature sets no such close limitations on the amount of fat that may 

 be stored. This varies according to inheritance, the nature and 

 abundance of the food, the amount of exercise, etc. The skeleton, 

 the muscles, and all the organs of the body increase during the 

 plastic stage of youth and cannot be augmented in the mature ani- 

 mal. (95) The quantity of fat which the animal may lay on is 

 limited during youth and is more easily and largely stored after 

 maturity has been reached. (100) 



These experiments should impress upon the stockman the plastic 

 nature of the bodies of young, growing animals. They show it pos- 

 sible for immature animals living on unsuitable food to survive a 

 long time and develop bodies that are dwarfed in size and made un- 

 naturally fat. They help to show that Nature's plan is to first 

 grow the body framework and afterwards to lay on the fat. They 

 point to the reasonable, important, and far-reaching conclusion that 

 it a pig or other young animal is improperly fed so as to modify 

 Its bones, muscles, and vital organs even a very little, and the 

 pi'ocess is repeated during several generations, the cumulative ef- 

 fects will be marked and permanently injurious. The practical 

 lesson is taught that young animals should be nurtured on a com- 



