Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-03-04
Why We Give Salt 10 STOCK.

We are asked by Lawrence, Mich,
correspondent to explain the reason for
giving salt To stock, and the question
il one of that class that will show hum
dreds OF readers how little we under
stand the why's and wherefores of cv-
eryday practice. We do not suppose
that one in n hundred can tell either
why he eats salt himself or gives IL to
his stock, and 1t Will be interesting to
ask those you meet why they do SO.
Since receiving the above inquiry We
have inquired of several on the subject,
and we nay. not received any better
ter reply than that either
they or the stock like il, or that
il makes the food more paiatable, That
Is correct answer ms far rs II goes, but
it Is far from being complete. 1t is
important that our own food and the
food of our stock shall he made palata-
Bile, for there is no qucstson nj all that
the animal system viii do much bet
ter upon food that IL relished than
upon a food that Is not; and besides
that. the animal will eat more OF what
it likes than IL will of what 1t dislikcs,
and when either fat or milk j. the OBJ.
ject, the more the animal will eat to
the extent of its ability TO convert, the
larger the product will be. SO ii we
went no further than To say that the
animal liked salt. and that, therefore
we fed It, we should give M abnndan
reason for the practice of sailing.
But another and more important
reason Is that salt Is found in every
portion of the system, giving US to I'M
derstand that nature intends il as the
! vital part of the animal structure, and
l,..
one way or another. As usual
| thing the mineral clements Of the
animal system are abundantly sup
piled through tho food without any
especial effort to that end. But IL is
not so with salt. The food Of animals
does not naturally contain n sufficient
supply Of this element. 1t, therefore,
must be added, and unless it Is, we all
know that the animals fall oil In condi.
ton. The structure is wanting in an
important element Of strength, Just as
II wall would bc wanting in strength
if there were no lime in the mortar,
and just us the animal
structure would be wanting in
strength If there Was an insufficient
supply of salt. Careful experiment
has demonstrated this IL has shown
that salt Is n necessary element of com
Dlete animal structure, and that with
out IL the animal will become sleepy
and weak, especially in the cxtrenii-
ties, finally dying for the want Of this
mineral element. Prof. Foster, of the
University of Munich. conducted a Sc
rios of experiments upon pigeons and
dogs. to see what effect diet, as de-
void OF mineral as possible, would have.
The pigeons were fed with starch and
casein, which were ~ tree from ash ~
as possible, and the dogs with meat
from which all mineral matter was ex-
tracted The result was always the
saTne--ihe muscles growing rapidly
weak, especially az the extremities,
and finally, Arnlsby says, cramps and
shivering showed great irritabiiity Of
the nervous system. We must, there
fore, conclude that we feed salt be-
cause, like brick in the wall 1t is
necessary To sustain the fabric.
That IL has amy effect upon digestion
which SOME suppose--is disputed.
Ii Is true that some experiments have
seemed To demonstrate that II does, but
the larger portion Of them do net sus-
tain that view. Indirectly IL doubt
less Is an aid 10 digestion for itecrtain-
~ has q tendency TO keep the alimeni
tary canal from elogging, and that free,
the entire machinery of the system IL
freer 10 perform its offices. Salt IL as
natural absorber of moisturc, aud in
the performance Of this Office 1t keeps
the contents OF the canal from hecom-
ing too dry and packed. II also ope-
rates ia a similar way upon the food
while ia the stomach, and thus by ena-
bling the solid food 10 secrete anu re-
tain due amount Of moisture. helps,
mechanically at least, the digestive
organs ia performing their work.
No animal can remain Ia cODdi-
ton OF health and vitality without a
sufficient quantity of a combination OF
foods, or OF food containing all the ell
ements or constituencies II properly
nourish the animal. l'he bone, mus
Gle and tissue must be fed in proper
ton, and the fuel furnished in the ear /
bon which supplies the heat The vi
tai forces abound In the heterogeneous or
giutenous and the phOspatic elements
which should be supplied Literally %
all animals, properties which are found 1
in corn In very small degree. Salt =
we stated before, through mechanical
agencies, encourages the absorption OF
a large quantity Of water, 30 that the !
food il conveyed ia such consistency I
of Iiquldity that ii II easily and readl- I
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