302 Agricultural Chemistry — Sheep-Feeding and Manure. 



fact, that, with the striking coincidences above noticed in the 

 amounts consumed of ?ztm-nitrogenous substances available as 

 food, the total amounts of nitrogen taken were — in the first pen, 

 77i lbs. ; in the second, 65^- lbs. ; in the third, 51| lbs. ; and in 

 the fourth, 51 lbs. It is true that the nitrogen and dry-organic- 

 matter are both nearly identical in Pens 3 and 4, but the nitrogen 

 of these differs much from that of either of the other two pens, 

 which again are widely different from each other — the variation in 

 amount in the four pens being as three to two. These indications 

 are interesting as pointing to the fact, that although nitrogen is a 

 very important constituent in the food of animals, yet the economy 

 of providing it in food, in quantity beyond a certain limit, must 

 depend upon other circumstances than the amount of meat pro- 

 duced. 



These points will be further illustrated by a consideration of 

 Tables 7 and 8, which follow, in which the actual results of 

 experiment as given in Table 6 are applied so as to show the 

 average weekly consumption of food in each pen, by each 100 lbs. 

 of live weight of animal, and also the amounts which were required 

 to produce 100 lbs. of increase. 



It should be observed in reference to these Tables, that the in- 

 crease during the entire period of 19 weeks is taken as the basis 

 of calculation. It will be remembered, however, that the average 

 weekly increase at the end of the first 1 1 weeks, as given in 

 Table 4, was more favourable throughout the pens than that 

 after a further continuance of the experiment. This was par- 

 ticularly the case with respect to the pen on malt, and on refer- 

 ence to the details it will be found that several of the animals on 

 that food gained scarcely anything whatever during the last eight 

 weeks, though even at the earlier period the result was still rather 

 in favour of the barley as compared with the malt. It is evident, 

 therefore, that the indications, especially of Table 8, are less 

 favourable throughout than they would have been had the ex- 

 periment been earlier closed, and that the results of the malt 

 pen are more affected than the rest. In vindication of the fair- 

 ness of the comparisons shown in the Tables it may be said, that 

 the results were less likely to be vitiated by accidental fluctuations 

 or irregularities, if taken on the longer than on the shorter 

 period, and that 19 weeks is not longer than animals are fre- 

 quently kept upon the same food when fattening for the market. 

 On the other hand, it may be urged, in reference to the malt, 

 that, in practice, it would not be continued so long without 

 change or further mixture with other food ; and indeed, it would 

 seem probable that, however genial to the health and tastes of the 

 animals malt may be when employed only to a limited extent, 

 yet after a time it loses its beneficial effects, probably nauseating 



