The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-01-18
AGRICULTURAL.

COOKING FOOD FOR STocK,-zThose
who oppose cooking food for stock on
general principles will be pleased with
the following from the London (Eng.)
Country Gentleman's Maguzine.
Thorough mastication of food is re-
commended as all-important, but it must
be remembered that cooked food rarely
calls forth the necessary process and no
amount of cooking will render food more
nutritious. Mastication is necessary for
two purposes-to break down and satur-
ate the food with an important huid-tho
saliva, that fluid effecting important
changes in the nutritive elements to fit
them to undergo subsequent actions by
other juices of the digestive organs. 1t
is not possible to supplant these secre-
tions by any process of preparation by
cooking or addition of fluids. Dame
Nature has supplied vegetable food for
every season, and only requires of man
that be should observe the peculiarities
of each, and give the benefits to animals
as far as possible 1t is decided mis-
take to cook the food of animals when it
is sound and sweet The mistake, so
called, Of supplying the dry food in win
ter, is more apparent then real. The
exercise of common sense is called for in
order to regulate the practice with suit
able roots and proper shelter and
warmth, more than is usually done. 1t
is mistake to neglect the young stock so
much as is commonly done. If more at
plying of artificial food increased during
the period of their most active growth,
adverse states would not be so general,
and the remedy less sought after in
useless preparations of food which run
into expenses Among working horses
the effects of cooked food are something
marvellous. Collie, and indigestion
generally, with disease of the liver and
kidneys, is of common and fatal occur
renee. 1t may be more easily under
stood to say such preparations are quite
unnatural, as the digestive organs are
constituted to act upon the most nu-
tritive grains. 1t is also commonly be-
Geved that animals, especially horses
pass much away by the bowels that
should be digested and appropriated to
the system. This question requires more
philosophical research before it can be
uellulttly hilli ucCululclN Scltletl, Dut We
can so so far as to say that when the
masticatory organs are in good order
and digestion perfect, a proper allowance
of food is thoroughly assimilated. Ap.
parently whole grains may be found in
the excrement, but upon close examina-
ton they will turn out to be the shell:
only, which by the action of the diges.
tive juices have been divested of theil
internal nutrient parts. Some person;
look upon digestion as process in which
everything must be utilized for the build.
ing up of tissue. They forget it is quite
as essential that other substances should
be present-thosc non-nutritious in them.
selves, but by their constitution and pre-.
scnce give bulk to the rest, and assist il
their general reduction in the stomach
of the higher animals exactly as thu
sand and pebble act in the crops O.
birds. The success of feeding our domes
tic animals does not lie in the way o
cooking food and administration of condi
ments, but in judicious management
generally, in which the peculiar feature
of organization, physiology, geology
meterology, and hygrometrics, play thei
respective parts, and agricultural success
will never be certain until these branche
of science are more definitely acknow
lodged.