Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1866-12-22


BY PROFESSOR ANDERSON, OF EDINBURG.
Properties Of Feed.-Practically, the prob
lem which the feeder has TO solve is, how 10
supply his cattle with such feed, and in
such quantities, as 10 insure the largest
amount Of increase with the smallest pos
sible loss. Aud for this purpose it is neces-
sary, not merely 10 select the largest guam
tity Of nutritive natter, but TO attend TO
the proportions In which they are mixed,
and 20 restrain, as far as possible, all those
functions which are productive Of waste
All the different kinds Of feed consumed
by herbiVorous animals, are found 20 pre-
sent general similarity in composition.
They are composed OF nutritiYe and an
indigestibls part; the latter consisting
chiefly ofwoody fibre, which appears TO be
guile incapable Of assimilation. IL is most
abundant in The herbaceous parts of plants
as in the straw Of the cereals and ths stems
Of the grasses, and Is almost entirely in the
grains when deprived Of their outer husk,
as for instance in wheat -four. The nutri-
tive part always consists Of a mixture, in
very variable proportions, Of several sub
stances, which may be separated by differ
ent chemical processes, However much
the relative qualities may vary, every feed
is found TO contain ct least shree different
substances which are members Of the three
great classes into which the nutritiye con-
stituents Of food may be divided, and which
have received the names Of the heterogeneous
or albuminous, ssccharine OF starchy, and
the oily substances
The Glasses Of feed constituents perform
two different functions. The nitrogenous
matters are employed 20 counteract the
wastes Of the tissue, and 10 increase the
quantity Of lean flesh or muscle; and hence
have been called the hesh-forming substan-
oes. The fatty and aAccharine compounds,
on the other hand, serve 10 maintain the
process Of respiration and the animal heat,
and for this reason have receive the name
Of the respiratory or heat-producing ele-
ments. They supply also the fatty matter
stored up in the body, which, as we shall
afterwards see, form very large proper
ton Of the weight of the animal.
Il Is sufficiently obvious that as the two
great AUCTIONS Of nutrition and respiration
must proceed simultaneously, the best and
most economical feed viii be first, that
which contains its constituents in the most
readily asaimiiable form; and, secondly.
that which contains them mixed together
in the most suitable proportions. The i'm
portance Of q proper balance between the
relative quantities Of the two great classes
Of nutriuve constituents must also be sufii-
ciently obvious. II, for instance, an animal
be supplied with feed containing a large
quantity Of heterogeneous and a deficiency Of
heat-producing compounds, the result must
be, either that il languishes for want Of the
latter, OF il is forced TO supply the defect
BY an increased consumption Of food: in
doing which il must take into les system a
much larger. amount Of heterogeneous mat
tiers than are requisite for supplying the
waste Of the tissues; and thus there is an
unnecessary and wastefnl expenditure Of
these substances.
The proper adjustment Of the relative
proportions Of heterogeneous and non-nitrO-
genous feed is the foundation Of successful !
feeding, and It's Importance has of late |
years been fully recognized BY chemists.
ImpOrfdaoe q WdTmth, Cleanliness and |
Venilatioa.-Ihe other great source Of loss
Of feed IS the maintenance Of the animal |
heat. IL has been already observed that /
an animal may, in certain respects, be /
compared 10 a furnace, in which q quantity /
Of fuel IL burned 10 produee the animal |
heat It may, In fact, be stated asa general |
rule. that the warmer cattle can be kept the /
more rapidly viii they faiten, all other
circumstances being alike. The cleanli-
ness and proper ventilation Of the houses |
should be most carefully attended "a, and
the state Of the dung observed, care being /
taken that the exefetions are regular, and |
every tendency 20 securing, or the reverse,
Immediately corrected.
lnlponancsef Bud n Feed. Though the
presence Of q sufficient quantity OF nutri-
tive matters in the feed IL naturally the
most fundamental matter Coz consideration,
is bulk Is scarcely les important. The
function Of digestion requires that the feed
.han properly Cd The ssouaach; and how
sver large the supply Of nutritivs matters
may be, their edeci Is iimperfecily brought
out Il the feedb toosmAlli bulk and az
tually becomes more valuable II diluteiEith !
woody hbre, or some other inert substance.
On the other hand, II feed be too bulky, the
sense oi repletiOn causes the animal 10
cease eating long before Il has Obtained |
sufficient supply Of nutritive matter. Its
most necessary, thefefore, 10 study the bulk
II the feed, and 10 consider how 10 mix the
iifeTent substances in such 4 manner az to