408 MAjNUAI^ of CATfLE-B^EEDING. 



Importance of Fat.—'Wliile tlie decomposition of pro- 

 tein ib esbcntially regulated by tlio kind and quantity of 

 food and the condition of the body, the oxidation of the 

 fat, on the contrary, is increased as a direct consequence of 

 nmscular exertion. 



To prevent tlie consumption of the body-fat and an 



emaciation of the animalb, is the function of the fat and 



carbhydrates— the non-nitrogenous nutrients— of the food 



(see pp. 187 and lA). Fat, liowever, is the most concen- 



tiated of all these nutrients, and it nuist, therefore, be of 



advantage to include in the fodder of workhig aninuds a 



certain quantity of fat. That this quantity nuiht not be 



too great has been already insisted on. In any case it is 



clear that working animals must recei\e a larger quantity 



of non-nitrogenous as well as of nitrogenous nutrients than 



is necessary in rest, and nmst receive more, the greater the 



amount of work which it is dobired to obtain from them 



in a given time. 



J 2. "WoBKiNG Oxen. 



Feeding- Standard.—Working oxen can perform a 

 small amount of labor with very little more nutriment than 

 suffices for their maintenance at rest, but if they are to 

 be even naoderately w^orked, the amount of nutiitive mat- 

 ter must be largely increased, so as to amount, per l,i)0() 

 lbs, live- weight, to about 1.6 lb. of digestible protein, and 

 at least 12 lbs. of digestible non-nitrogenous nutrients i)er 

 day ; the nutritive ratio is then 1 : 7.5. Such a ration 

 would correspond to feeding with hay of average quality, 

 with the addition of small quantities of a nitrogeiums bye- 

 fodder, or to a miKtm-e of clover-hay and straw, or it might 

 albo be prepared chiefly from straw and roots, with a suit- 

 able nitrogenous bye-fodder. The total organic matter 

 may amount to about 24 lbs. * 



