REMARKS ON THE CATTLE SHOW. 
55 
allowed its liberty, Nature would speedily relieve herself of the 
encumbrance. The animal would gallop, gambol, fight, or play, 
according as the disposition might be—largely increase thereby 
the excretions—bring the lungs into greater activity—consume, 
or, as it has been termed, “ burn out,” a larger quantity of nutri¬ 
tive matter, and in a few hours the equilibrium would be re¬ 
stored. But with the feeders of fat animals these things are care¬ 
fully eschewed; perfect repose is provided, and every inducement 
to increase the quantity of food eaten is had recourse to. Now, 
then, what is to become of this excess of nutriment 1 It is de¬ 
posited in the cellular tissue of the body in the shape of fat. 
Some of the causes of fat being put on in masses or lumps arise 
from over-fatting—bad formation—breeding in-and-in carried too 
far—weak constitution. Compare an ox that has been used in the 
yoke, before it is put up to fatten, to one destined to live a life 
of idleness, and become so obese that it shall be fit for competing 
for a prize. How different are the two in their developments and 
appearance ! The idle one looks very far better than the probably 
lean worker; but what a difference there really is, and this greatly 
against the good-looking idler! The one lean, but the muscles 
hard and fully developed;—the cellular tissue but in small quan¬ 
tity—the weight being great, from the solidity of the component 
parts of the body. The idler, on the contrary, has its rotundity, 
from the deposit of superficial fat, dispersed through a large quan¬ 
tity of loose cellular tissue, from want of labour or exercise, to an 
extent which, in a natural state, it would have : the muscles are 
not fully developed—soft, mixed up with much cellular tissue. 
Put these two animals, originally alike and of the same age, into 
the stall at the same time. The worker lays on fat evenly; the 
muscular fibre is but slightly diminished; but a deposit of fat 
taking place amongst the fibres, gives that rich marbled appear¬ 
ance which is so sought after, and which we often see wanting in 
the prize animals. 
Perhaps some of our readers may know the delicious flavour of 
the pork from a “ stubbier ” (that is, a pig that has run over the 
corn-fields after harvest), of from 60 to 80 lbs. weight: there is 
not the remotest comparison between it and the “ dairy-fed ” pork 
