40 The Feeding of Animals 



animals consists of water, the limits observed in all 

 species and conditions here mentioned being 42.3 per 

 cent and 67.5 per cent. 



The percentage of water varies with the species, age 

 and condition. Swine carry a notably small proportion. 

 The calf's body, even though fat, is comparatively 

 watery. It is very noticeable that with oxen, sheep and 

 swine the lean animals contain a much larger proportion 

 of water than the fat. This does not mean that in the 

 process of fattening the fat is substituted for water, 

 and so expels it from the organism, but that the in- 

 crease has a much smaller percentage of water than 

 the body in its original lean condition. This is well 

 illustrated by the data from two independent investi- 

 gations at Rothamsted and at the Maine Experiment 

 Station. The former investigation showed that when 

 swine, sheep and oxen are fattened the increase con- 

 tained from 20 per cent to 24 per cent of water, this 

 being half the proportion found in the entire bodies of 

 the lean animals. The Maine Station results established 

 the fact that in the increase of two steers from the age 

 of 17 months to 27 months, during which time a fat- 

 tening ration was fed, there was 42 per cent of water, 

 the bodies of the younger steers having 58.2 per cent. 

 It is a common remark among unscientific people that, 

 beef from mature animals " spends " better than that 

 from young, the same observation being made in com- 

 paring lean and fat beef. Modern investigation shows 

 clearly that the reason for this lies partly in the differ- 

 ence in water content. Dry matter, and not water, is 

 the measure of food value. 



