Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-10-18


The followirg extract frsm lecture by Dr.. Az
prRsoN. at the Highland lseotlsndj sosietys show
viii be interesting to stock rasers in this region;
The feeding of stock is exactly one Of those sub
iects which can be most successfully advanced by |
studying the principles which It depends and |
though these involve many complex chemical and
physiological questions, have obtained some foun-
dation on " hich to 20. The lVod which an animal
consumes is pa tly assmilated and partly excreted,
but Il it be properly proportioned 10 It's require
lnents its weight remains constant. and hence we
learn that food does not remain permanently IN the
body. II, now, animal be deprived OF 1000, II
loses weight owing 70 the substances stored up IN
the body being used maintain the process OF res
piratOn and the waste Of the tissues Inc course OF
events within the body Is so far as known, some
what Of this kind. The food Is oigested, absorbed
into the blood certain quantity beng consumed to
support respiration Ii the food be properly ADJUST
ed 10 the requirements Of the animal. It's weight re-
mains unchanged-the quantity absorbed and that
excreted exactly correspond to one another; out
if we increase the food, part of the excess VIII be
deposited in the tissues to add 70 It's weight Now,
The quantity absorbed depends upon the state OF the
animal lean beast thoroughly exhausting Its food,
while when il is nearly fat, 1t takes only small
proportion So likewise, If the quantity OF food be
greater than the digestive organs can well dispose
Of certain quantity escapes digestion altogether,
and is practically lost.
The problem which the feeder has TO solve is, how
10 supply his cattle with such food, and in such pro-
smallest loss. In solving this problem we must, IN
the first place. consider the general nature OF the
food Of all animals the constituents OF winch may
be divided into three great caSses-the heterogeneous
matters which 90 70 The formation Of flesh; the sac
charine and DIV which support respiration and
form fat Ii is sufficiently obvious that as the two
great functions OF nutrition and respiration must
proceed simultaneously, the most advantageous food
will be that which supplies them in the most readi
" assimilated forms and in proper proportions,
In regard to the first OF these matters, II VIII be OBJ
vious that if two foods contain the same quantity Of
nutitive matters. but in they are associated with
larger quantity OF woody-tbre or other non-nutT-
1ous matter the latter viii have considerably less
value than the former.
The necessity for a proper balance of the two
great classes Of nutritvc constituents IS also su-
GENTLY obvious; for if. for example, an animal oe
supplied with a large quantity or heterogeneous mat
1ers and small amount OF respiratory elements,
ii must TO supply a suticiency of the latter,
sumo much larger quantity OF the FORMER han it
can assimiiae. and there Is practically great loss.
We NAV determine the proper proportion 0i these
substances in three different ways: LIST, may de-
ternline the composition OF The animal body; I'd, we
may examine that OF the milk the typical food Of
the Young animal; and 3d. the results Of actual
feeding experiments may be examined. But, how
ever valuable the data derive from these expert
ments NAV be. they less important than those
derived from actual feeding experiments. In fact,
1t by no means follows thar Jhg proportions in which
the different substances found the animal are
exactly those in which they ought to exist in the
food. On the contrary. il appears that while one
tenth of the saccharne and faulty matters as
simulated by the animals, only ne-tWSnteth of the
ntrOgeuOus compounds. and one thIrty third Of the
mineral substances IN the food assimiated by
the animal On the o.Hcr hand, how ever, It must
be remembered that the particular compounds also
exercise a very ditiergu. thence. Ihus pound
Of tat in the food, WHOM inflated, will produce
pound Of fat in the animal; but u requires abOul
Two and half pounds OF sugar and starch to pro
duce the same effect
The broad general pT u-ipc arrived at Is. that we
mus afford sufficient 90 w o- readily assiu3ilable
food, containing proper ID. portion OF each class
o. muitvg Substances. td- there are other mat
tgIs 10 be b.rle D mind or me food must not only
i""rVase tn weight s. abs animal but also support
1ralio1 and aliUa NJ, and the quantity of