to the Reariiuj and Feeding of Cattle. 
233 
the muscular fibre. The reason here also is obvious; for both 
oats and barley contain much albumen.* 
In an experiment made by Mr. Morton at Lord Dncie's farm, 
twentj-cight ])igs put up in pens of seven each, and fed on an 
average on 15^ lbs. of potatoes and 4 lbs. of barley-meal each, 
gained 15 or 16 lbs. weekly. In this quantity the pigs actually 
consumed nearly equal quantities of the two kinds of food, »)r 
exactly 30 lbs. of dri/ potatoes and 23 lbs. of dry barley-meal 
weekly. The increase in weight being 16 lbs. for each pig, 
37 lbs. of the food were lost in supporting respiration and the 
necessary muscular movements, even without taking into calcu- 
lation the water contained in the flesh of the animal, which 
amounts to 75 per cent. If these animals had been deprived of 
muscular movement by being placed in narrow warm cribs, it is 
reasonable to suppose that less food would have been lost, because 
less would have been consumed in the production of force and in 
sustaining the animal heat. The barley-meal contains the con- 
stituents for furnishing firm flesh, as well as for producing tallow, 
or supporting respiration. The economy of using potatoes con- 
sisted in their supporting the respiration of the animals at less 
expense than barley. The 108 lbs. of potatoes used in the week 
for this purpose and for the production of tallow contain 26 lbs. of 
unazotized matter. In order to replace this, 33 lbs. of barley- 
meal would be requisite. It does not invalidate the conclusion 
that 33 lbs. of barley-meal would produce a greater return than 
108 lbs. of potatoes, because the former contains much more 
albumen and less water than the latter. 
'i'he supposition that fat is produced by an imperfect com- 
bustion of the unazotized parts of food has within these few weeks 
been disputed by Dumas. This celebrated chemist aftirms, in 
opposition to Liebig's view, that many kinds of food contain fat 
ready formed, and that to this fat is due the tallow of animals, 
just as their flesh is to the gluten of the food. He affirms, for 
example, that hay contains 2 per cent, of fat, and maize or Indian 
corn 9 per cent, of the same ingredient. y He then enters into 
* Chemically speaking, they do not contain albumen, but gluten. All 
the nitrogenized ingredients of food being of tlie same composition, I 
employ for them one term. This is chemically wrong, but ayriculturally 
correct. 
•1- According to more recent analyses of Liebig, hay contains 1-3G per 
cent., and maize 4 • 67 per cent, of fat. Braconnof found 1 • 20 per cent, in 
peas, while Fresenius got 2-1 per cent.; and in lentils 1'3 per cent. 
Vogel obtained 2-00 per cent, of fat in oats; Liebig, 0-3 per cent, in dry 
potatoes; and Bracannot, 0*13 per cent, in rice, although, in another 
variety, Vogel states that he detected ro.5 per cent. The substance here 
called fat is in reality a waxy or resinous body, and not tallow, except in a 
few instances. 
