138 



MANUAL OF OATTLE-PEEDIKG. 



It is evident that tlie protein consumption in tlie body 

 is greater, the larger the amount of protein in the food. 

 The inciease, however, is not quite as great as it would 

 have been without the fat ; for, other things being equal, 



Fat decreases the Protein Consumption, and there- 

 fore increases the depositiorf of flesh in the body. This is 

 most plainly shown if, after the body is in equilibrium 

 with a certain quantity of albuminoids, fat be added to the 

 food. The following example from Voit's researches illus- 

 trates this fact : 





Food, 



TJrea per day 

 Gims 



Flesh con'snmp 



Date 



Meat. 

 Grins 



Fat 

 Grms 



tion m bod^ 

 Gims 



July 31 



Aug 1 



'^ 2 



" 3 



1,000 

 1,000 

 1,000 

 1,000 





 100 

 300 







81 7 

 74 5 

 69 3 



81 2 



1,140 



1,042 



970 



1,134 



While the animal, when fed with 1,000 grammes of 

 meat, was losing daily about 140 grammes of flesh, the 

 addition of 300 grammes of fat served not only to prevent 

 this loss, but to cause a slight gain. 



This decrease of the protein consumption is not very 

 considerable in a single daj^, amounting, in the dog used by 

 Yoit, to at most 168 grammes of flesh, or 46 grammes of 

 dry protein, and vaiying from 1 to 16 per cent, of the total 

 consumption. Its amount depends not only on the protein 

 and fat of the food but also on the condition of the ani- 

 mal. The greater the amount of circulatory protein in 

 the body, and the less fat it contains, the more of the pio- 



