AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
117 
ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY.“-EARM STOCK, 
BREEDING, AND FEEDING. 
BY EDWARD J. LANCE, BAGSHOT. 
In the Farmers' Herald of July last, I made 
some remarks on the above subject, since which, 
the views I therein advocated have been much 
confirmed, for many friends have said they were 
able to prove the correctness of my position, 
viz., that confinement to the same blood had a 
tendency to degenerate the offspring. 
This physiological fact is not heeded during 
the warmth of youth, by the human family ; and. 
it is only in the decline of life that, upon mature 
reflection, the truth shoots into the mind, per¬ 
haps at a time wljen the sad effects have been 
made manifest, and cannot be remedied. 
That the same order of nature pervades the 
whole animal kingdom, I need not dwell on, for 
it is proved to a demonstration, by every yearly 
progress of our lives; also, that if we disobey 
the organic laws of creation, we must pay the 
penalty in this life, individually, or in succession. 
The sins of the father are visited on his gene¬ 
ration ; nations, races, and tribes have charac¬ 
ters from physical causes; as have the varieties 
of the same species amongst the lower animals. 
But “ the eyes of the multitude are not strong- 
enough to look at truth.” This was the remark 
of a sage in Greece, and is still applicable to 
the human family. 
The care and management that is now be¬ 
stowed upon the lower animals, by the connois¬ 
seur in stock breeding, and the high price that 
is given for symmetry, and fanciful colors and 
forms, is enough to induce the farming commu¬ 
nity to give some attention to the general phy¬ 
siology of animals. A single individual can get 
his name into repute for-certain points in the 
form of animals, and what is true of individuals, 
is also true of the whole nation of animals. A 
contemporary writer on the physiology of ani¬ 
mals, has said that races are necessarily the 
result of organic constitution ;—that the human 
race has the power of modelling its own organ¬ 
ism, as well as that of the lower animals, and by 
a series of combinations, a high moral and intel¬ 
lectual character, or a character decidedly the 
reverse may be produced; in fact, that the ex¬ 
isting state of society is its own production, and 
it can either exalt or depress it, by attending to 
or neglecting the laws governing its structure. 
“ Man has power over matter; but to use that 
power, he must conform to the laws governing 
matter.” 
Mankind knows this truth and acts in accord¬ 
ance with it, when employed in developing and 
perfecting the lower animals, in his breeding 
horses, bullocks, sheep, &c.; but as regards 
himself, which is of immeasurably more im¬ 
portance, he wilfully neglects the few laws he 
has discovered, disdainfully turns aside from the 
innumerable facts daily presented to him, and 
thus retards the progress of his race. It is by 
observing and recording facts only, that we can 
hope to improve ourselves, or those animals 
committed to our care. By a study of nature 
in her wondrous ways; by a proper knowledge 
of the animal and vegetable physiology; by a 
study of the mineral kingdom, and the infinite 
diffusion of matter throughout the universe; by 
these combined points of knowledge, we may 
hope to arrive at just views and appreciation of 
life, and how it may be best sustained in the 
greatest vigor. 
in this inquiry into the physiology of animals, 
I have considered myself justified, by .experience 
and data, (some of which have been placed be¬ 
fore a discerning public,) to speak my mind, in 
hopes to caution others, who may not have ob¬ 
served so closely, with (comparatively) .a mi¬ 
croscopic eye, as 1 have done, throughout a life 
period of three-score j'ears; hence, I have 
spared neither kings, queens, nor princes, rela¬ 
tions or friends, but have saicl they were wrong, 
wherever nature had said so previously. Laws 
are made by man, to restrict the union of per¬ 
sons who are related by marriage ties only, yet 
man unheeds the restriction which nature has 
dictated as a guide, and permits blood relations 
to produce a degenerate race. 
A physiologist has said that “We vote mil¬ 
lions of our treasure to unchain limbs, but make 
our judges persecute men for their opinions and 
thoughts; in theory and outward appearance 
encourage candor and free aspirations, in prac¬ 
tice and in the secret workings of our institu¬ 
tions, render men hypocrites and slaves.” “ The 
frown of power can crush the most superb in¬ 
tellect, and prevent the utterance of thoughts 
calculated to invigorate the drooping energies 
of kindred brains. In this land of liberty, the 
first touch of our shore infuses freedom into the 
enslaved muscle, but binds tighter the fetters 
surrounding thought; bids the trembling cap¬ 
tive assert the rights of humanity, but prevents 
the free action of the organ—the cause of his 
superiority.” 
It is to physical education we must appeal, 
as the sheet-anchor that will save a people from 
degradation. A knowledge of the physiology 
of animals and of vegetables should be taught 
in our schools; it would. be far preferable to 
learning the dead languages, or doctrines taught 
by idealogians. By education, the cultivators 
of the earth might be taught to understand the 
methods by which nature builds up the vegeta¬ 
ble structure, as well as that of the animal; the 
former receiving their supply of food through 
the media of air and water, and the latter re¬ 
ceiving- their nourishment principally from or¬ 
ganized substances. On this latter I wish now 
to dilate, as some very false notions are enter¬ 
tained as to the design of nature in constituting 
carnivorous and herbivorous animals, and of 
man, who is omnivorous. 
The form of the cranium of most animals be¬ 
speaks the class of food designed by nature, on 
which the animal should exist, together with 
the beak or mouth, the masticatory organs, &c. 
The cat and the rabbit, the hawk and the 
pigeon, are examples of the form of cranium, as 
well as of the teeth. The ass and the lion are very 
varied !Ts to their heads and teeth. A similar 
comparison may be made as to ^he form of head 
of many varieties of the carnivoree and herbi- 
vorae, as well as that of man. The Brahmins of 
India are a weakly and degenerated race of peo¬ 
ple; they do not consume animal food, their 
heads being exceedingly narrow ; whereas, the 
North European and Esquimaux feed much on 
animal food, and have hence a wide cranium, the 
masticatory processes being also designed ac¬ 
cordingly for such consumption of food. 
The food taken in by the herbivorous animals 
is divisible into two grand divisions, viz., the 
nitrogenous, or blood and flesh-forming matters, 
and the non-nitrogenous, or the fat-forming, 
being the material which keeps up the heat of 
the body, gives power of motion and respiration. 
These several foods are exemplified in the milk 
of the female, which embraces them all. It is 
also contained in the eggs of birds, but in this 
latter, the nitrogenous is in the greatest abund¬ 
ance. Some vegetables tend to form fat, whilst 
others form flesh and blood. Yegetables are 
good or indifferent as food for man and animals, 
in proportion as they contain nitrogen or carbon, 
flesh or fat, cheese or butter-forming- substances. 
Of all the vegetables grown by man, the 
wheat grain contains the greatest assimilation ' 
to the mother’s milk, as it contains gluten and 
starch, the principal matters, or, as they may be 
termed, cheese and butter. Dr. Playfair has 
said in his lectures: “Oaseing is precisely thc 
same in composition as animal flesh, and hence 
supplies matter adapted for the growth of the 
body. Butter and sugar are destined for the 
support of respiration and consequent mainte¬ 
nance of animal heat. Butter is a substance 
admirably suited for the purpose ; for, being of 
a combustible nature, it yields much heat by its 
union with oxygen. Sugar also is well adapted 
for the support of respiration, from causes which 
have been explained.” “The milk of the cow 
contains much casein and butter, and less sugar 
than other animals. The ashes of milk consist 
principally of common salt and the earth of 
bones. The soda of the common salt is neces¬ 
sary for the formation of bile, whilst its muriatic 
acid aids in the process of digestion.” 
Feeding on milk, or -on cheese and butter 
with bread, is taking the most nourishing food 
that can be had for man; but the kind of food 
for man, or the lower animals, must be varied 
in accordance to the age of the animal, and in 
agreement with what is desired to be accom¬ 
plished. A growing animal requires much 
nitrogenous food, and less of the carbonaceous; 
the one will build up the frame, and the other 
add the fat, warmth, respiration, and motion. 
An animal having been built up to its full 
size, requires only its part's to be kept up, and 
the exhaustion of fat supplied daily; also, a fuel 
for the supply of warmth, locomotion, afid re¬ 
spiration ; these latter functions are of vital 
consequence, and first call on the food for sup¬ 
port. If any cai'bonaceous matter is left from 
these supplies, then will fat aceumulate on the 
body, and not until then ; should there not be 
sufficient food supplied of the proper kind 
wanted, then will the body waste, and the fat 
of. the inside will go to supply warmth, respira¬ 
tion, and motion. 
The human frame, belonging to an omnivorous 
animal, requires that the blood should be kept 
supplied with nitrogenous matters, which, 
surely, can be obtained from milk, eggs, macca- 
roni, cheese, &c.; but to attempt to obtain it 
from the starch of potatoes, rice, sago, sugar, 
or other carbonaceous foods, would be futile. 
The wheat contains about 20 per cent, of nitro¬ 
gen or gluten, and 80 of starch or carbon—- 
hence it assimulates the nearest to cheese and 
butter, flesh and fat. It has been found that 
where man is confined to a vegetable diet only, 
he becomes weak and diseased; such has been 
the case ’with the Irish and the Brahmins, 
where cholera and other such like diseases have 
commenced; indeed, it has been found that the 
urine of vegetarians has changed its nature, the 
uric acid being changed into a sugar, and disease 
engendered. On this head see Andrews' Do¬ 
mestic Medicine , article “Diet.” Blackie, Glas¬ 
gow. 
The nitrogen, or flesh and-blood forming 
principle in some vegetables, and that of flesh 
and eggs, are so similar, that they may be con¬ 
sidered identical. Dr. Playfair gives the follow¬ 
ing: Wheat flour, 13.9; peas, 15.67; eggs, 
15.92 ; ox blood, 15.76 ; ox flesh, 15.67. “ Thus* 
[s!iys Playfair] we are led to the startling con¬ 
clusion that plants contain within them the flesh 
of animals ready formed.” The waste nitrogen 
from the blood is expelled from the system by 
urea; hence, if there is want of animal food in 
the body, this excrement becomes changed from 
its natural state. The watery state of some 
vegetables, and their nourishing capabilities, 
may, in some measure, be seen by the following 
table; but the relative value of various foods 
must be taken in proportion to what is required, 
either of flesh, fat, or the necessary functions of 
life: 
lb. 
100 - 
Nitro- 
Albumen. 
Wa ter 
Organic 
Matter. 
Carbon. 
-Beans. 
. 31 
. 14 
... 82 . 
. 51 
Flesh. 
. 25 
. - 
. . - . 
. — 
Lentils. 
. 33 
. M 
... 81 . 
. 48 
Oat-meal. 
. 11 
. n 
.. 89 . 
. 68 
Rarley-meal. 
. 11 
. 15 
... 82 . 
. 08 X 
Ha y. 
. 8 
. 16 
... 70 . 
. 08 
Turnips. 
. i 
. 80 
... 10 . 
. 0 
Carrots. 
. 2 
. 87 
... 12 . 
. ’10 
1‘otatoes. 
. 2 
. 72 
... 27 . 
. 25 
Red Beet. 
. IX 
. 89 
... 10 . 
. 8X 
Blood. 
. 20 
. — 
... — . 
. - 
The numbers in the first column represent 
the quantity of gluten, and may be considered 
as the equivalent value of the various foods as 
regards the flesh-forming principle, but they 
form no indication of the capabilities of the food 
to form fat, or maintain the necessary functions 
of respiration or motion. The column under 
the.head of carbon gives a comparative view of 
the latter capability, an excess of .which goes to 
accumulate fat on the external and internal 
parts of the animal, where it is held as a re¬ 
servoir for the wants of the animal. A fat man, 
or a fat hog, or a fat dormouse, will live longer 
without a renewal of food than a lean animal of 
either species. 
In cold weather, animals require the largest 
proportion of carbonaceous food, to act as fuel 
to keep them warm. 
The relative value of potatoes and beans can¬ 
not be compared, because their respective value 
as food arises totally from different causes, the 
one tending to flesh, and the other to form fat; 
hence, the necessary art of mixing variety of 
food for animals. I do remember, thirty years 
