MANUAL OIT CATTLE-FEEDING. 



129 



proportion to tlie amount of the latter. In all these ex- 

 perhnents by far the larger part of the piotein of the food 

 was converted into circulatory jnviein, which was rapidly 

 consumed in the vital processes. That this is always the 

 case on a purely albuminoid diet is shown by the scores of 

 similar experiments which might be cited. 



Similar experunents on our herbivorous domestic ani- 

 mals have given in the main the same result, except that 

 the protein consmnption has generally been found to be 

 less in proportion to the weight of the animal than in the 

 carnivora, a fact which, however, as we shall see, is in great 

 part due to the large amoimt of non-nitrogenous matter in 

 the food' of these animals. Could they be fed on pure 

 protein, as was the dog in the above experiments, it is 

 probable that the protein consumption would be corre- 

 spondingly increased. 



The CbnsTHnption does not depend on the Supply 

 alone. — ^With ihe same amount of protein in the food the 

 protein consumption in the body may be very unequal in 

 the same animal at different times, as the following results 

 strikingly show. 



Meat eaten. 

 Grms. 



Previous food. 



Consumption 

 of fleah per 



Grms 



6am or loss 

 of flesh 

 Grms 



2,000. 



2,000 grms. meat 



2,229 



-271 





2,000 '* " 4-250 grms fat 



2,069 



- 69 





1,500 " '* 



1,920 



+ 80 





200 ** '* +300 gelatin. 



1,753 



+ 247 









1,077 



+ 323 





450 grms. starch. 



1,383 



+ 617 





175 '* Hieat + 300 fat. 



1,365 



+ 635 



6* 



