74 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
latter season ■ for the .same air that fills a bladder of 80 
cubic inches in winter, will fill one of 100 cubic inches 
in summer—the heat expands it. In summer we breathe 
less oxygen than in winter, for the warmer the season, 
the thinner the atmosphere, and the organs of digestion 
are in a great measure regulated by the season and cli¬ 
mate. In this we see a wise provision, the blood of ani¬ 
mals being always at the same degree of heat. A man 
traveling towards the Equator cannot inhale so much 
oxygen, consequently he loses his appetite, and does not 
keep up so great a fire within him; on the other hand, 
a man moving towards the North Pole will become vo¬ 
racious, as the condensed atmosphere will require so 
large a quantity of carbon to maintain the standard de¬ 
gree of heat. Persons living in the East Indies, or anj r 
other hot climate, exist upon fruits, or food containing 
not more than 12 per cent of carbon; those living in the 
Arctic regions, will eat at one meal five pounds of blub¬ 
ber or fat meat, and drink train oil or brandy in propor¬ 
tion. Under the Equator animals will eat less, and bear 
hunger for a long time, but in a cold climate, hunger will 
soon cause death. According to Liebig, an adult, in 
taking moderate exercise, consumes in one day 13 9-10 
oz. of carbon, and the conversion of this into carbonic 
acid, will require 37 oz. of oxygen, and that animals dif¬ 
fer in the temperature of the blood in proportion to the 
respiration and size of their bodies; for instance, the 
heat of a child is 102°, and an adult 98°; in birds it is 
104 to 105, and in animals from 98° to 100°. From this 
it appears that a child, whose respiration is quicker than 
in a man, requires food more frequently; a bird depriv¬ 
ed of its food will sometimes die on the third day, and a 
serpent, being sluggish in its breathing, will live three 
months and more without food. Fishes are warmer than 
the element in which they live, but although they are 
generally under water, they are not without air; the 
finny tribes are provided with a bladder containing air, 
and according to the expansion of the vessel that con¬ 
tains it, they rise to the surface or sink to the bottom. 
The pulse and breathing of animals may be compared 
to the weight and pendulum of a clock, for one regu¬ 
lates the other. Great exertion will cause quick breath¬ 
ing and palpitation of the heart, and it may be imagined 
that it may raise the temperature of the blood; but such 
is not the case, for science and observation will show that 
animals are protected aganst excessive heat. In a steam 
engine, its speed or power is regulated by its furnaces, 
and as the ivater becomes rarified, the strokes of the pis¬ 
ton become more frequent ; but when it arrives at a cer¬ 
tain power, the pressure from within opens the safety- 
valve and liberates the extra quantity of steam. In ani¬ 
mals, a quick pulse and quick breathing, may produce 
more heat, but to keep the circulation always at the same 
temperature, their skins are provided with pores, which 
open like safety-valves, to let off the heat by means of 
perspiration. 
It is here necessary to observe that some animals never 
sweat, but when running, the tongue is protruded, and 
perspiration is secreted from that member, and the 
mucous membrane of the mouth. It has been supposed 
that in racers, hunters, &c., the decrease of fat is at¬ 
tributable to perspiration; but it appears to be from 
another cause. The quick breathing of a galloping 
hprse may have the same effect upon his fat as the black¬ 
smith’s bellows have upon the coal; the coal, (which is 
carbon,) by receiving a strong current of air from the 
bellows, is soon reduced to cinders, and the fat (which 
is also carbon,) is reduced by the oxygen which is 
breathed. Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and 
sulphur, are the ingredients of fibrine, gluten, and 
casein, which constitute blood, and being conveyed by the 
arteries to every part of the body,and having deposited the 
fibrine, which is the chief ingredient in muscle, and its 
carbon, which is the chief ingredient in fat, it is return¬ 
ed by the veins and undergoes another chemical change. 
Fat animals can live longer without food than those 
in low condition; a fat pig was once overwhelmed in a 
slip of earth and lived 160 days without food, and was 
found to have lost 100 lbs. in a month. In an animal 
kept without food, the oxygen will apply to the fat for 
carbon to keep up the heat of the body;, after that it 
Jan* 
will go to the muscles, and leave them soft and weaki 
lastly it will attack the brain, causing delirium and death, 
ine appetites of animals may be increased by a bracing 
air and exercise; but the quieter they are kept, the 
faster they will fatten, provided the sheds, houses, or 
boxes, are kept at a moderate temperature. Nature 
has provided the brute creation with clothing sufficient 
to support life in the climate for which they were ordain¬ 
ed; but to prepare cattle for the butcher, abundance of 
suitable provender, quietness and warmth, are essential¬ 
ly necessary for so large a formation of fat. 
Notes of a Tour in Central New-York. 
Analytical Laboratory, Yale College, > 
New-Haven , Conn^ Jan. 1, 1851. ) 
Editors Cultivator—I might write you still several 
more letters upon topics particularly connected with 
Seneca county, which was the chief subject of my last, 
but fear lest I might seem tedious, and also wish to avoid 
telling what will be better told in Mr. Delafield’s 
forth coming report. 
The last county fair at which I was present, was that 
of Ontario county at Canandaigua; my time then being 
limited, I only arrived in that place on the evening of the 
first day, and left on the evening of the second or closing 
day of the fair. I consequently had little or no oppor¬ 
tunity for seeing the face of the county, or of becoming 
extensively acquainted with its farmers. 
This county has a high reputation among its neighbors 
for the spirit shown in its fairs, and for the scale on 
which they are got up. It was a subject of regret that 
I could not see the stock, the show in that departments 
being over previous to my arrival. It was described as 
uncommonly good. Mr. John Greig, President of the 
County Society, has undoubtedly by his countenance 
and assistance, done much in sustaining and popularizing 
these exhibitions; though not a practical farmer, he has 
the sagacity which so many men of large property lack, 
to perceive how closely the prosperity of any country 
is connected with the success and the improvement of 
its systems of agriculture. 
The show of fruit and vegetables on the second day, 
was remarkably fine. The crowd which it attracted, 
rendered it difficult to enter into any critical examination 
of the varieties, and I was obliged to content myself 
with a general survey. There are numerous amateur 
producers of fine fruit in this vicinity, and the beneficial 
results of their friendly rivalry were quite apparent. 
The fruit business is becoming an interest of much 
importance in these western sections of the State, and 
is destined to prove a source of large income to those 
who engage in it with an appreciation of what is neces¬ 
sary to success. The soil and climate both concur to 
favor judicious enterprise in this species of cultivation. 
Toward the close of the morning, a plowing match 
came off, and was contested by a rather numerous com¬ 
pany. I was present until driven away by the rain, 
which commenced just before noon, and continued so 
violently as to interfere seriously with the enjoyments 
of the day. Some of the work was very inferior, but 
for the most part it was good, and there were three 
plowmen who need not fear to compete even in am 
English plowing match. I have seldom seen furrows 
cut more straiglitly, or more evenly. One or two of 
the best, were Scotch and Irish, who had learned their 
