306 Agricultural Chemistry— Sheep- Feeding and Manure. 



ployed, and the use of the malt seems to have been continued 

 beyond the period of its best result, its indications may be open 

 to some objection. To these points, however, we have paid par- 

 ticular attention in the conduct of further experiments on this 

 subject, and the results will be detailed in the sequel. 



In reference to the comparative effects of oilcake and linseed, we 

 observe that a larger amount has been required of the latter than 

 of the former, to produce the same gross increase in live weight, 

 whilst in a given weight of the two, a larger amount of nitro- 

 genous and of mineral matter would be brought upon the farm in 

 the oilcake than in the linseed ; the latter would, on the other 

 hand, contain more of the non-mix o venous organic substances. 

 These points will be treated of more fully, however, when we 

 come to consider the comparative composition of the manures 

 obtained by the consumption of different descriptions of purchased 

 or saleable food ; and it will then be seen that a consideration of 

 them will materially assist in deciding upon the economy of one 

 food rather than another, when the results of the feeding-shed 

 may be uncertain in their indications. 



Reviewing the more general results of the second series of ex- 

 periments, it is observed that there was upon the whole a greater 

 regularity in each pen upon the same food than in the former 

 one ; yet, that such again is the evident fluctuation in the apparent 

 progress of the animals, so far as it is exhibited by the scales, 

 that it would appear necessary to admit its occurrence as a general 

 fact, which, when the comparative value of foods is to be decided 

 by the increase in weight of the animals fed upon it, should never 

 be overlooked ; and further, that such is the variableness in the 

 amount of constituents consumed, and in the effects they produce, 

 according to their appropriateness to the demands of the animal 

 at the time, that not only may there be a larger amount of food 

 expended within a given time, but that its product of meat will 

 be defective in spite of a liberal supply of the more important 

 constituents as shown by analysis, provided these be not in such 

 state of combination and adaptation to each other as is suitable 

 to the season of the year, and to the habits and tastes of the 

 animals. 



Experiments with Sheep. — Series III. 



In the series of experiments last discussed, it was found that, 

 although the amount of the highly nutritive nitrogenous com- 

 pounds consumed by the animal was very large, yet the increase 

 produced was far inferior to that obtained from a less amount of 

 them in the case of the former series ; and, the results now to be 

 detailed will still further show, that the value of food depends 

 materially upon other circumstances than the per-centage of 



