Composition of Farm Animals 95 



sheep, and swine, but also of the extent to which this 

 composition is affected by age and condition: 



Composition of farm animals (per cent) 



It is always more or less surprising to the learner 

 to ascertain that the bodies of farm animals of vari- 

 ous species and in various conditions are about half 

 water. This is water that is not in any way chemically 

 united with associated compounds, but exists in the 

 blood and tissues in a free state, and may be dried out 

 in the usual manner. Next to water, fat is the -most 

 abundant material, protein and ash following in the 

 order named. 



Perhaps the most striking fact displayed is the great 

 variation in the proportion of these ingredients accord- 

 ing to the age and condition of the animal. For in- 

 stance, the percentage of water in the fat calf is much 



