414 On the Value of the Oil in Linseed-cahe as a Food for Stocld 
was almost exactly the same for both lots of sheep. The sheep 
which received so much less oil, but instead of it an approxi- 
mately equal weight of the other constituents of the cake, only 
consumed 5- of a lb. more of dry food per week and per 100 lbs. 
live-weight than did the others. At the bottom of Table III. 
is shown the amount of dry food which was used to produce 
100 lbs. live-weight of animal, and here it may be seen that the 
results are largely in favour of the high oil pen of sheep. This 
lot consumed altogether, of cake 176 lbs. per 100 lbs. gain in 
live-weight as against 198 lbs. eaten by the others, a difference 
of 22 lbs. ; of hay 1G7 lbs., as against 190 lbs., a diffei'ence 
of 23 lbs. ; and of swedes 405 lbs., instead of 4G1 lbs., or a 
difference of 5(J lbs. of dry swedes. The total difference of con- 
sumption, taking all the foods together, between the two lots 
was 101 lbs. Or, putting it in another way, it took, when the 
cake was poor in oil, 849 lbs. of dry food to produce the same 
increase in the sheep as 748 lbs. of it produced when the cake 
was rich in oil. 
Now although the advantage, as proved by the scales, in 
favour of the sheep which had the more oily cake was very 
considerable, it was scarcely so great, according to the judg- 
ment of certain practical valuers to be given directly, as that 
which was actually obtained. And if the improvement in the 
better pen of sheep was really greater than that registered by 
the machine, the additional superiority must have been due to 
some quality of carcase which could not so be brought out. 
Many years ago Messrs. Lawes and Gilbert published a table 
on the composition of sheep, both in a store and in fat condi- 
tion. In it was shown that the carcase of a sheep of the leaner 
kind contained 24 per cent, of fat, and 57 per cent, of water. 
On the other hand, the carcase of a fat sheep gave 45 per cent, 
of fat, and the very different proportion of only 40 per cent, of 
water. There is here, it is true, no absolute proof that fat 
displaces water without necessarily increasing the weight of a 
sheep ; nevertheless, the evidence as it stands has a very 
pertinent bearing upon the opinions of the experts to be 
presently supplied. 
Taking still the increase in weight only as the basis of 
improvement, the oO sheep eating most oil increased 14G lbs. 
over the others ; and if it be assumed that two-thirds of this 
extra gain was in carcase, we have 97 lbs. more of meat at 9(/. 
per lb. = 72.N'. 9c?., or 2.n'. 5cZ. per head. Tlie following may be taken 
to represent roughly the quantities of the several ingredients of 
the respective cakes consumed per sheep dui'ing the experi- 
ments, as computed from the analyses of Dr. Voelcker. 
