The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-10-31
Food Required by Animals.
New York SUM-

And Janus rests with rusted door.
Food Required by Animals.
New York SUM-
Scientific agriculturists, and especially
those connected with experimental sta
TONS" have for years sought to determine
lust how much food was required by the diff
ferent species and breed of domestic animals
Starting out with the well known fact that
large animal, as a rule, requires more food
than small one, they have endeavored to
find the relative proportion of food TO live
weight demanded by each species aud breed
The Germans long since established what
they term a maintenance ration" in which
a definite weight of various substances
is named rs being required per 1000
pounds of live weight to keep an animal
without increase or decrease in its weight
These ratiOns have been tested from time to
time by breeders of cattle in this country
but from difference in climate or breed of
cattle they DO not appear to offer satisfactory
results the amount named being in almost
every instance too large for simple main
tenance. ut the late meeting of the Society
for the Promotion of Agricultural Science
held at Montreal. several reports of expert
ments relating to this subject were read, but
none of the experiments seem to have ar
rived at any definite conclusion as to just
how much food was required s. main
tenance ration.
Professors Caldwell and Roberts of Cornell
University, have carried on a series ofiexper-
imeDts with steers. In the first case the ra-
ton, upon which the animals gained 2.2j
pounds per 600 poands of live weight daily,
was very near the same as that established as
the maintenance ration of the Germans, and
consequently had TO be abandoned. All sub
seQuent experiments with different kinds of
food showed not only that the established ra
lions were not correct, but that up to tine
present time none could be named with GER
tainty for stock in this country.
Another report or paper read at the same
meetingby Professor J. w. Sanbern, Professor
OF Agriculture in the University of Missouri,
Tecounted various experiments in the feed
ing of cattle; but all showed that the Ger
man rations we're too high. Professor San
born also reported that the amount of water
drank varies with the food consumed The
largest proportion of water was drank with
small rations. Grain rations require less
water than coarse food, per pound of or
<anic food, but the kind of food affected the
disposal of the water drank. Coarse food
Tations, while requiring more water, were
followed by change in direction OF its dis
posal; a very much larger proportion is dis
charged with the solids rather than by the
kidneys, as with heavy grain rationS.
It may be of some Importance to the sclen-
tific agriculturists to know that cattle in
germany require more food to keep them in
good condition than the same breed manner
lea, but it must be evident to every practi-
cal farmer. Nothing like an exact amount
of food required per 100 pounds live weight
for any animal, either for its support in
health or for fattening. can be aseerisined,
owing to the wide difference in habit or di-
gestive organs of individual animals in all
herds. We have only to examine the cattle
in almost any farmyard 20 tindone COW wax
ing fat upon the same rations that cause
another TO grow poor, though one may be
larger, giving more and richer Milk-in fact,
doing more work on less food than her COM
panjon. There may be no accounting for
this, but the fact is quite apparent to the
owner or close observer.
We find the same difiesenee among all.ani-
mails large or small. Who has not seen a
pair Of horses, both of which have been fed
exactly alike and worked the same, and with
DO great difference in weight, but one of
which would keep fat and the other poor IN
less frequently stimulated with extra food
With man we find the same or even greater
difference, and it is only necessary to lock at
the ratiODs or amount of food consumed
among the laborers on any OF our public or
private works where large number are en-
pIoyed to see that size, weight or amount OF
work performed have really little to do with
quantity Of food consumed or actually re-
quired to keep a man weighing $50 to 200
pounds in good health and spirits We have
known individuals working in gang of Ia
bOreTs who could consume at every meal
four times as much as others and still we're
no larger and did no more work than their
companions.
OF course, il is not to be denied that Ee
may ind the approximate quantities of food
required 10 support animals, but all at
teInpts to restablish rules or exact rations
will prove futile. owing to the individual
. characteristics Of every breed and species of
animals. 4 favOrite theme with physicians
has been, what shall and how much should
man eat aud remain healthy and live TO
great sge% But unfortunately for the
theorists, nearly all their rules Laid down
tor our guidance in this matter have been
broken with impunity, and, We might
say, to the great advantage of mankind
There was probably more truthful saying
than what 10 one Iuan's food is another
mans poison" for there are hundreds of
well5knovn instances Of kinds Of food which
are positively hnEtful 70 one person being
Wholesome an nutritious TO others. To talk
and write about what kinds of food are most
bealthful, and how much of how little one
sbouldeat, are excellent themes for one-idea
persons 10 discuss; but in practical life they
pass for what they are worth, and that is very
little.