, 1874-12-19
Why Feed Should Be Cooked.

The introduction of the iron corn and
cob mills, which require no extensive
machinery to run them, has brought
them within the reach of every farmer
and into very general use; and although
they only crush or but imperfectly grind
the corn, for a certain class of stock
there IS evidently great economy in their
use: vet, if the same corn W4S around to
the tinCncSS OF common meal, the adVau-
tage derived from il, no doubt, would be
double that from the corn which Is only
crushed, TOR by being minutely divided
it Can be more readily and cticCtually
acted upon by the digestive fluid Of the
stomach, and a larger portion of it IS
rendered available for nutrition. Even
when corn is ground into fine meal and
fed uncookcd to healthy animals it is not
all digcSted, but 4 large portion OF il
passes OFF and is lost.
BY the researches of DutrOchet. Du-
mas and more lately by RaSpail, who has
devoted much time, aided by the best
microSCopiCal instruments, to the dis
cDycry of the original nutrItive particles
in food and the changes they undergo in
the process OF preparation for nutrition.
II has been found that the nutritivc mat
ter in grain or roots is composed of, or
rather Is contained in, minute smooth
white glUbulcS, differing in size in the
different grains or roots. Thus in wheat
they are 2-l,O0O parts of an inch: in the
potato double this size, while in buck
wheat they are only 10000 part OF an
inch in diameter. Pure flour or starch
ttaAH'l J., D.. Int Il
glohuleS IN their natural size Raspail
aSCcrtained that these minute glObules
consist OF an envelope and an incloSed
kernel constituting the nutritiye matter
/ These glohuleS are inSolublc or unaltera-
bic in cold water, but require heat of
/ l22 degrees TO expand the kernel and
burst the envelope, yet at this degree OF
heat the substance Is not dcCOmpOScd. II
/ Is these coating envelopes that constitute
the starch Of the laundry. The investiga-
u"ns OF these philosophers seem to have
established the following facts as stated
by Raspail:
l. That the globuleS contain flour,
meal or starch, whether contained in
grain or roots, and are incapable of af-
/ iordIng any nouriShment as animal food
until they are broken.
,. That no mechanical method OF
breakingor grinding is more than par
TALLY efficient.
3. That the most efficient modes of
breaking the glObules are by heat. by
fermentation, or by the chemical agency
OF acids or aikalies.
!. That the deXtrine 1.-THE nutriment
part', which Is the kernel, as ii were, ot
each globule, Is alone soluble, and there
for alone nutritiye.
>. That the envelope or shells of the
Clohules, when reduced 20 fragments by
mechanism or heat, are insolubIe, and
therefore not nutrilivc
6. That though the fragments of these
shells are not nutTitive, they are indis-
penSable 10 digestion. either from their
dlStcndIng the stomach or bowels. Or
from some other cause not understood
II having been proved bv experiment
that concentrated nouriShment. such as
cane sugar, essence Of beef, OF ozma,
lome,' cannot long sustain life without
some mixture OF COarser and less nutri-
tive food.
:. That the economical preparation OF
all food containing globules of fecula
consists IN perfectly breaking the shells,
and rendering kernel or dextrine con
tanned in them soluble and diEeSIible
while the fragments Of the shells are al
the same time rendered more bulky, So
a the more readily to MI the stomach.
That great advantages are derived
from cooking meal for stock We think
these facts and hundreds of experiments
that have been made clearly demonstrate
and the only question that presents il
self Tor consideration Is. whether the
saving IN grain by cooking IS equal to
the labor and expense of the operation
Two points must determine this QUes-
ton: first the market value of grain,
and second, the perfection Of the appa-
ratns tor cooking and feeding-Rura!
F0-,i