122 VETEEINAEY HYGIENE 



taining the body-temperature during our winter months, is 

 stored up in the system. Freedom from excitement is well 

 recognised as an important factor ; nervous, irritable 

 animals cannot fatten, owing to the disturbed state of the 

 system. The expenditure and body- waste which occur 

 during exercise being a direct loss of body-tissue, the 

 necessity of rest for fattening animals is clearly indicated. 



The quality of the meat depends upon the distribution 

 and character of the fat deposited in the tissues ; some 

 animals store up fat outside the carcase, others in the 

 internal organs. 



The guide as to the differences in the character and 

 amount of food required by different animals is the propor- 

 tion of their internal organs. 



For every 100 lbs. of live weight of the ox, 11|- lbs. are 

 for stomach and contents ; whereas for sheep, the number 

 is 7j lbs., and for pigs, IJ lbs. The intestines and con- 

 tents with the ox are 2| per cent, of his weight ; with the 

 sheep 3J per cent. ; and the pig 6-|- per cent. 



From these considerable differences in the proportion of 

 the digestive organs, great differences may naturally be ex- 

 pected to occur in the feeding. The small stomach of the 

 pig is not intended to digest cellulose, whilst that of the 

 ox is ; sheep require less cellulose than the ox, and the pig 

 more starch than either, to digest which his intestines are 

 comparatively the largest. 



Lawes' and Gilbert's investigations show that the amount 

 of dry substance of food required to produce a given weight 

 is larger with the ox than with the sheep, and larger with 

 the sheep than with the pig. 



As an animal passes from the store to the fat condition, 

 it is found that the increase in weight steadily decreases 

 although the same amount of food is consumed. 



Both oxen, sheep, and pigs contain from 3 per cent, 

 to 4 per cent, less nitrogen in the fat than in the store 

 condition ; whilst, on the other hand, they contain about 

 double the amount of non-nitrogenous substance in the 

 fat than in the store condition. Both the water and salts 



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