Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-08-13
FOOD OF ANIMALS.

The size and condition Of an animal viii
regulate the quantity of food necessary to sus
tain it. The larger the muscles and bones
the greater will be the daily waste, and con
sequently the greater the quantity of food he
cessary to be given. To convert the hay
straw, &C., of your farm into manure, keel
large animals, and feed them generously, il
dark stables this prevents them being dis
turbed, and becoming restless anything that
excites or causes an animal to be alarmed, III
creases the natural waste, and thus dimin-
ishes the effects of food,
The absence of light, however produced,
sOoths and quiets all animals, disposes them
to rest, and makes less food necessary Sour
feed fattens animals more rapidly than sweet;
green heritage of all kinds, collected and al
lowed TO get sour in water, will iatten pigs
that would not thrive on it before, because
Tactic acid (the acid of milk islorined, which
favors the growth of the pig. Brewers grain,
when sour. will fatten cows and other animals
more rapidly than when sweet.
Boiled or steamed potatoes, turnips, ear
rots, &c, is far more economical food for
growing stock, and even working horses and
oxen, than when they are fed raw. 1t is a
curious fact that the age OF food affects its
value in the nourishment Of animals. New
oats, for example, are not fit for food for hor-
ses until they are seven or eight months old
as they affect the heels, legs and kidneys, and
make the horses unfit for work. You may
even dry oats in kiln, and they will still be
unfit for work. In the time specified, some
unknown chemical change takes place in the
interior Of the grain.
The potato on the other hand, by keeping,
lIses much of its nutritive value, even before
it begins to sprout turnips, carrots, parsnips,
&c., which have started into flower, add much
less than before to the weight of fattening
stock. The production OF manure is an Oh
iect of almost equal Importance with the pro
ducton Of milk, or the fattening of stock.
The quantity Of manure depends upon the
quality Of food necessary to sustain the ami
NAL with the exception of the carbon, which
escapes from the lungs, in the shape of car
bonc acid, nearly the whole Of the food which
sustains the body is supposed to he rejected
in the form of exeremcnt.
With fatteuing animals it is different. tn,
food must sustain, and at the same time, form
additional fat. as fattcning cattle are fed Of
corn, oil cake &C., besides their ordinary
food their manure is much richer than othe
stocks, differently fed. We all know Of Ger
tain old pastures, that, time QUITO mind, hay,
been celebrated for their fattenng qualities
and although no manure has been artitically
put on them, still they have become no les
valuable. The reason Is that the full growl
stock have been Turned upon them annually
they have already their full supply of bone
and sufficient quantity of muscle they con
sequcntly only extract fat from the grass the,
eat, and return to the soil phosphate OF lime
saline matters, and nitrogen, and thus the
are only indebted to the land for fat and a
the atmosphere supplies this matter to tn
grass, the land has not heen robbed of any
thing, and therefore continues fertile. Sup
pose you were to place micl cows upon sue
pasture, they would exhaust the food tina
passed through their digestive organs of tn
phosphates, salts, gluten and starch, an
transform them into milk, the consequence
would be very rapid sterility. Vale
Farmer.