THE CULTIVATOR. 
175 
factorily established, that the value of manures is to be 
estimated principally by the quantity of nitrogen they 
contain or are capable of furnishing for the use of plants. 
NUTRITION.—The value of different substances for 
nutrition, or for promoting the growth of animals or 
plants, varies materially, and as all cultivation has for its 
end this principal object, the proper understanding of its 
nature, and the best means of effecting it, has long been 
a subject of anxious research. It must be acknowledged 
however, there are many points connected with this most 
important function of nature, still involved in mystery; 
while these researches have thrown considerable light on 
the general questions involved in the inquiry. The sub¬ 
stances that nature employs to promote growth and sus¬ 
tain life, are termed food, whether employed for the nu¬ 
trition of plants or animals; and if (he latter cannot exist 
on the materials that support the former, it does not ren¬ 
der less important the action of the former. 
The original elements of nutrition appear to be but few 
in number; and there appears to be a regular gradation 
in the perfection of organization and combination of the 
materials required for nutrition, from the most imperfect¬ 
ly organized vegetable, to the highest limit of organiza¬ 
tion, as existing in man. Each plant or animal in the 
scale, feeds on materials prepared by the one placed be¬ 
low him; and which appears to have given to the ele¬ 
ments a new combination for this express purpose. 
From this beautiful provision of nature, there is no devi¬ 
ation, except such as is forced and unnatural. Materials 
once organized, and endowed with life, never lose the 
power of contributing to life in a much greater degree 
than those not so endowed; hence the necessity of some 
medium between animals and unorganized matter, a me¬ 
dium filled by the vegetable. Man compels all organi¬ 
zed matter to contribute to his sustenance; he alone ap¬ 
pears to be omniverous; yet man finds some substances 
better adapted to his nutrition than others, and frequently 
pays the penalty of disregarding the admonitions of na¬ 
ture on this point. It is a singular fact, that of all the 
substances used for the purposes of nutrition, there is but 
one and only one intended for this purpose and for noth¬ 
ing else, and that one is milk. A knowledge of this, has 
greatly aided the researches into the practical value of 
different substances for food, as it was reasonable to sup¬ 
pose that those containing the same elements as milk, or 
which by the action of the stomach could be converted 
into such, would be the most valuable; a result fully jus¬ 
tified by experiment and observation. 
Of meat, the most nutritive parts are the muscular, or 
the dark colored meats, while the white meats, fat, gela¬ 
tinous parts, &c. contain much less that is suitable for 
nourishment. This result seems to be owing to such 
parts containing less nitrogen, or the principle termed 
ozmazome, and hence are unsuitable for those whose di¬ 
gestion is impaired or defective. Of meats, lean beef 
contains the most nutritive matter, and is for the purpo¬ 
ses of food, of course superior to all others. Of plants, 
wheat contains the most nutritive matter, containing, ac¬ 
cording to the reports of Percy and Vauquelin, 80 lbs. in 
100. It is true the same chemists rated beans higher than 
wheat, as they did peas; but later investigations do not 
seem to have sustained them in their decision, all hough 
in all cases peas and beans have ranked next to wheat. 
Butcher’s meat, on an average of the common kinds, 
gives about 35 lbs. in 100 of nutritive matter; and pota¬ 
toes only about 25 lbs. in 100. « Thus 1 lb. of good 
bread is equal in nutritive power to 2% lbs. of the best 
potatoes, and rather more than equal to 2 lbs. of meat; 
while 75 lbs. of bread and 30 of meat are equal to 300 
lbs. of potatoes.” (Johnson on Food.) There is one 
thing, however, that must not be overlooked in all dis¬ 
cussions on nutrition, and that is, that when substances 
containing the most nutritive matter are taken exclusively, 
more is used than is required, as the material of disten¬ 
tion as well as nutrition is required in all substances ta¬ 
ken as food. To the healthy action of the stomach, with¬ 
out which the functions of nutrition must be imperfectly 
performed, it is indispensable that bulk should be combi¬ 
ned with the nutritive matter in proper proportion, and 
it is this that in no small degree constitutes, so far as con¬ 
venience and health is concerned, the actual value of any 
given article of food. A man or an animal will indeed 
live for a time on those substances alone, that contain the 
most nutriment; but experiments prove that they will not 
retain as good health or do as well as when a portion 
of more bulky and less nutritive food is combined with 
the richest. Thus a horse will not do as well on wheat, 
as on oats, because the bulk of the latter is better pro¬ 
portioned to the nutritive matter required for vigorous 
health than in the former. Indian corn too, one of the 
richest of all articles in nutriment, should always be 
given to animals in connection with cut straw or chaff of 
some kind, or no small portion of its value is lost, and the 
animal not unfrequently injured. We know of some ex¬ 
cellent observing farmers, who prefer mixing one-third 
oats with the corn they give their fattening pigs as food, 
and would prefer the oats even at the same price as corn, 
rather than feed the latter alone. Farmers complain that 
barley does not agree with horses as food. The reason 
is they do not in feeding, take into account the greater 
amount of nutriment contained in barley over oats, which 
make the common standard of feed so far as bulk is con¬ 
cerned, and hence the horse, as when fed with wheat, 
becomes fevery and ill. 
A comparison of the several kinds of vegetable food, 
generally used for the purposes of nutrition, cannot but 
be useful, as showing the farmer what quantity of one, 
may be substituted for another. The following table, 
given in Burger, from Petris’ work on the “ care and 
keeping of sheep,” may be considered as a list of equiv¬ 
alents. It will show that while of some an animal could 
scarcely eat enough to support life, of others the nutri¬ 
ment would greatly exceed what the wants of the animal 
demanded. 
100 lbs. sweet, well cured meadow hay, containing 50 
lbs. 
of nutritious matter, are equal to 
90 
„ . , ( 100 lbs. of which 
lbs. clover hay, ) contain 
J 551 lbs. nutri- 
\ tive matter. 
90 
lbs. 
tender vetch hay, 
do 
551 
lbs. 
do 
90 
lbs. 
tender lentil hay, 
do 
55i ibs. 
do 
360 
lbs. 
wheat straw, 
do 
14 
lbs. 
do 
500 
lbs. 
corn straw, 
do 
10 
lbs. 
do 
180 
lbs. 
barley straw. 
do 
271 
lbs. 
do 
200 
lbs. 
oat straw. 
do 
25 
lbs. 
do 
200 
lbs. 
pea straw, 
do 
25 
lbs. 
do 
190 
lbs. 
millet straw, 
do 
261 
lbs. 
do 
200 
lbs. 
horse bean straw. 
do 
25 
lbs. 
do 
180 
lbs. 
chaff, 
do 
271 
lbs. 
do 
200 
lbs. 
potatoes. 
do 
25 
lbs. 
do 
200 
lbs. 
cabbage turneps, 
do 
25 
lbs. 
do 
200 
lbs. 
yellow turneps, 
do 
25 
lbs. 
do 
400 
lbs. 
white turneps. 
do 
m 
lbs. 
do 
300 
lbs. 
beets. 
do 
I6f 
lbs. 
do 
500 
lbs. 
white cabbage, 
do 
10 
lbs. 
do 
82 
lbs. 
Indian corn, 
do 
95 
lbs. 
do 
82 
lbs. 
wheat, 
do 
95 
lbs. 
do 
55 
lbs. 
rye. 
do 
90 
lbs. 
do 
61 
lbs. 
barley, 
do 
82 
lbs. 
do 
64 
lbs. 
buckwheat, 
do 
78 
lbs. 
do 
71 
lbs. 
oats, 
do 
70 
lbs. 
do 
54 
lbs. 
peas. 
do 
93 
lbs. 
do 
54 
lbs. 
horse beans, 
do 
93 
lbs. 
do 
83 
lbs. 
wheat chaff. 
do 
60 
lbs. 
do 
105 
lbs. 
wheat bran, 
do 
48 
lbs. 
do 
109 
lbs. 
rye bran, 
do 
46 
lbs. 
do 
To keep in equally good condition, it appears from va 
rious experiments, says C. W. Johnson, that a horse will 
consume as much food, besides grain, 
As. 8 sheep, 
A cow as much as. 12 u 
A fattening ox as much as. 10 “ 
A 3 year old heifer as much as 8 <c 
A 2 “ “ 6 “ 
A 1 « “ 4 « 
A calf as much as. 2 ce 
Cure for Sore Teats. —Archibald Jones, Esq. of 
Frankfort, Me., writes to us that a good remedy for sore 
teats is to make an application to them of molasses at thp 
time of milking. This confirms what other friends have 
communicated on this subject .—Boston Cultivator . 
