AGRICULTUEAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



99 



protein fed hogs would furnish him a slightly larger percentage of 

 cuts of lean, but it "was very evident after all that the pork result- 

 ing from rations so materially unlike differed mainly in quantity. 

 Neither the butcher nor the consumer could see much chance for 

 preference in the matter of quality. The testimony of the weights 

 of the organs and internal fat coincides with the above statement. 



Weight of carcass . 

 heart.. 



lungs 



liver 



kidneys 



intestinal fat. 

 leaf lard.. .. . 



Lot 1. 

 More protein. 



Hogl. 



283 lbs. 

 15 oz. 

 15 '' 



78 " 



10 " 



148 " 



238 " 



Hog 2. 



288 lbs. 

 13 oz. 

 IQh '' 

 54 '^ 

 12 '• 

 117 "■ 

 268 '• 



Lot 2. 

 Less prorein. 



Hog 3. 



234 lbs. 



14 oz. 



12 '• 



43 -' 



7 '• 



132 '^ 



218 •' 



Hog 4. 



226 lbs. 



12 oz. 



13 •' 



51 "■ 



7 " 



107 '' 



208 " 



The internal fat of those animals which ate the larger proportion 

 of nitrogenous food was 8.6 per cent of the weight of the carcass, 

 and 9.0 per cent, in the case of the other animals, a difference that 

 does not signify much. Of the organs weighed only the kidneys 

 varied much in relative size. The results of this experiment are 

 not put forward as conflicting with the teachings of experiments 

 made elsewhere, but as showing that these unlike rations had more 

 influence on the amount than on the Jcind of produce. The kind 

 of produce is very largely determined by those constitutional 

 characteristics that have become fixed by years of breeding, and 

 unless the food is so one-sided as to be greatly abnormal, it 

 undoubtedly may vary within quite wide limits during the life of 

 a single generation without largely modifying the composition of 

 the body which it builds up and nourishes. The effect of special 

 feeding would be cumulative, doubtless, and after several genera- 

 tions we might expect a modification of product somewhat marked 

 and persistent. 



What extent of variation may occur in the relation in 

 quantity of the nitrogenous and non-nitrogenous consti- 

 tuents of a ration without greatly affecting ihe rate of 



GROWTH ? 



A safe answer to this question would demand a large number of 

 observations. Nevertheless the fact that the nutritive ratio may 

 vary without affecting the rate of growth sufficiently to be 

 determined by practical experiments is undoubted, and is well 



