Loss of Muscle. 169 



of their lives, especially the large swine, in leading corn 

 sections of the West. 



The consequence of the reduced activity in multitudes 

 of hogs in the Western country is a large reduction of 

 bone, which has led to exercise being painful and limited, 

 and also to an enormous reduction of muscle, thereby re- 

 ducing the food-value of pork in proportion to the reduc- 

 tion of muscle ; for muscle, as certainly in hogs as in cattle, 

 contains nearly all the nutritrve elements and flavoring 

 juices of pork-meat. Consequently, every reduction of 

 muscle in hogs is a reduction in the nutritive value, and 

 therefore in the food-value of pork. 



The reduction of muscle in many hogs from the joint 

 influence of reduced exercise and increase of carbon in feed, 

 within 25 years, amounts, we estimate, to 50 per cent less 

 muscle, in proportion to size and weight of hogs, than ex- 

 isted in active hogs 25 years ago. And the aggregate ex- 

 tent of this reduction in the muscle and food-value of hogs 

 we roughly estimate to be equal to that arising from the 

 reduction of muscle in cattle, or 25,000,000 pounds, mak- 

 ing together 50,000,000 pounds reduction and loss in flesh 

 and food-value in cattle and hogs from the certain influence 

 of reducing the exercise and breathing, and the circulation 

 and muscular proportion, by reducing or preventing the 

 natural activity, by which, only, muscular growth can be 

 developed in young animals, or maintained in animals of 

 any age, when already existing. 



Whether it is because the form or the speed of cattle 

 and hogs is not well adapted to the saddle, that cattle and 

 swine are not permitted to regularly and sufficiently exer- 

 cise, we cannot say. 



But we see, as any one may see, that active horses and 

 colts, and brood mares, generally, have plenty of exercise, 

 and that thereby they develop abundant heat, and full 



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