48 THE CULTIVATOR. Feb. 
duce early maturity. “ But,” he observes, « however 
desirable these qualities may be, depend on it, there are 
others of an opposite character which are also to be at¬ 
tended to—these are weight of muscle, and the capa¬ 
bility of propagating their race—to produce all of 
which quite a different system must be adopted. There 
is a certain amount of exercise which muscles require 
to encourage their proper development and growth, 
that never can possibly be obtained by a young animal 
confined in this manner. The degree of activity In the 
nutrition of muscles depends in a great measure upon 
the use that is made of them; and thus we find that any 
set of muscles in continual employment undergoes a 
great increase in size and vigor, whilst those that are 
disused lose their firmness and diminish in bulk. Cat¬ 
tle require not such exercise as would harden the mus¬ 
cular fibre, but just so much as would keep the animal 
in a healthy state and prevent those enormous accu¬ 
mulations of fat which so frequently disfigure and so 
materially injure our very best breeds of cattle.” 
Mr. K. advises that—“ During the first two years, as 
long as the weather will permit, the young bull should 
be allowed to range in the meadows [or pastures;] and 
when the autumn advances, and it becomes necessary to 
house him, we would recommend that the house or shed 
should be attached to a straw-yard, into which he may be 
occasionally turned during the mild days of winter.” 
In relation to the rearing of store cattle, Mr. Kar- 
keck remarks that the same care is not required as has 
been recommended for breeding ones; “but even in 
this case,” he says, “it may be worth the farmer’s no¬ 
tice to be acquainted with the fact that nearly the 
whole of the fleshy part of an animal, which will 
afford any profit to him, is assimilated chiefly du¬ 
ring the period of its growth.” Thus, he thinks, “ it 
should be the object of the farmer to force his stock on, 
during the period of their growth with such kind of 
food as will produce the largest quantity of muscle at 
the least expense.” 
In the commencement of this article, we spoke in 
terms of general approbation of Mr. Karkeck’s essay; 
but on one or two points we are compelled to believe 
that practical observation conflicts with his views. It 
will be noticed that he speaks of small lungs as fa¬ 
voring the accumulation of fat—an idea which we 
think was first publicly put forth by Professor Playfair, 
in a lecture before the Council of the Royal Agricultu¬ 
ral Society in 1842. 
The importance of this subject justifies its being con¬ 
sidered at some length. The theory alluded to seems 
to be founded in the fact that carbon, which is one of 
the elements of fat, and without which fat cannot be 
formed, is disengaged from its combinations in the 
blood, and is thrown out of the system in the act of 
respiration; or to explain the process more in detail, 
the venous blood which comes back to the heart is load¬ 
ed with carbon, and this on being sent to the lungs by 
the heart’s action, it there enters into combination with 
the oxygen of the air which is inhaled, and forms with 
it carbonic acid—the latter being expelled from the 
lungs in the act of expiration. 
From this, the idea seems to be entertained that if 
the carbon of the blood is not consumed in respiration, 
it may remain in the system and be converted to fat, 
&c. In other words, the theory is, that the less the 
consumption of carbon by respiration, the greater will 
be the accumulation of fat from the food consumed. 
Prof. Playfair even went so far as to say in the lecture 
referred to, that—“ if two pigs had the same quantity 
of food, and one had lungs of double the size of the 
other, that pig would only appropriate half as much of 
its food in the form of fat.” 
But in adopting the above theory, have all the im¬ 
portant functions of the lungs been duly considered? 
It is admitted by physiologists that venous blood is 
charged with matter which renders it no longer capa¬ 
ble of affording support to the system—it is in a degree 
poisonous. Hence nature has provided a means of pu¬ 
rifying it, and restoring its life-supporting properties. 
The lungs constitute the laboratory for performing this 
purification, and it is reasonable that in proportion to 
their development and free action, will be the perfec¬ 
tion of the process. Here the noxious portion of the 
blood is taken away and its place supplied by a sub¬ 
stance which qualifies the remainder to nourish and 
invigorate the system. 
Is it not certain also, that the full action of the lungs 
and a free inhalation of oxygen are essential to the 
proper action of the digestive organs? The imperfect 
digestion of animals having weak lungs, indicates this; 
and it is well known that animals in which fat has accu¬ 
mulated to such a degree that the lungs are compressed, 
and their inflation prevented, are able to digest but a 
small quantity of food, and their increase in weight is 
likewise very small. 
It is proper to remark that many distinguished phy¬ 
siologists do not agree with Prof. Playfair in relation 
to the point under consideration. Dr. Cline says—“ an 
animal with large lungs is capable of converting more 
food into nourishment, and has, therefore, a greater 
aptitude to fatten.” With this Mr. Youatt also agrees. 
“ On the soundness and capacity of the chest,” (observes 
Mr. Y.,) “ depend the size and power of the important 
organs it contains—the heart and the lungs; and in 
proportion to their size, is the power of converting 
food into nourishment.” In another place he remarks 
in reference to the ox—“ the broad open breast implies 
both speed and strength, and aptitude to fatten. A nar¬ 
row chested animal can never be useful either for work 
or grazing.” 
Mr. Read, a veterinary surgeon of high distinction, 
also dissents from the theory of Playfair. He says:— 
“ I do not agree with Dr. Lyon Playfair that the lungs 
must of necessity be small when an animal first begins 
to fatten; but as the fattening process goes on the in¬ 
ternal cavity of the chest becomes smaller, the action 
of the heart weaker, and the lungs diminish in size in 
a regular gradation, from various causes; first, from 
limited expansion; second, from absorption and by 
pressure of the surrounding parts; and lastly, from qui¬ 
etude never allowing their due inflation which the act 
of depasturation affords.” 
In support of the supposition that animals with large 
lungs do not fatten well, Dr. Playfair mentions that 
horses have large lungs and are nearly destitute of fat. 
On this Mr. Read remarks:— 
“I well know, and not speculatively, that horses, if 
fed on meal and potatoes, or turneps, quickly and rapid¬ 
ly make fat.” And he states further that on open¬ 
ing those which have died in consequence of having 
been put suddenly to work after being kept on this kind 
of food, he has “ found them loaded with fat.” 
Another veterinarian, (Mr. Sparrow,) writes—“ on 
the form and size of the chest depend the soundness, 
strength, and health of the animal. A capacious chest 
will afford room to well-expanded lungs; and in pro¬ 
portion to their expansion will they convert a given 
quantity of blood into a vital arterial fluid, and contri¬ 
bute to the nourishment of the frame.” 
For our own part we do not think the theory that 
animals w'hich have naturally small lungs are most dis¬ 
posed to fatten, is sustained by practical observation. 
The external form, the roundness and capacity of chest, 
which those animals possess which are commonly most 
disposed to fatten, certainly indicates a corresponding 
internal structure or large vital organs; and indeed 
whenever we have had the opportunity of examining 
such animals internally, we have always found the lungs 
comparatively large unless when the animal has been 
fully fattened. We readily admit that those animals 
which at the time of being slaughtered, are found to 
have accumulated fat in an extraordinary degree, usually 
have small lungs, heart, &c.; but we feel confident they 
become small during the process of fattening, as de¬ 
scribed in the quotation above made from Mr. Read. 
But even if it were demonstrated that small lungs are 
most conducive to the formation of fat, it would by 
no means follow, that it would be wise for the farmer 
to breed cattle with this organization. The animals 
must be capable of exertion—they must be able to pro¬ 
cure their food by grazing, often in situations requiring 
considerable muscular strength and activity—they may 
