The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1883-03-29
The Feeding of Stock.

Prof. d. ID. Slade, Harvard univer-
sity, writes as follows in the Ameri-
can Agriculturist for April:
The proXimate principles that are
organic exist as ingredients of organ
lied bodies. They are starch, sugar,
fat, albumen, fibrine and caseine. The
last three are known as heterogeneous
substances, as they contain nitrogen,
while the first three do not contain
this element. Starch enters largely
into the composition of the various
grains, corn, wheat, rye, oats. 1t eX-
lists also in potatoes, peas. beans, and
in most vegetable substances. Starch
is easily converted into sugar, and
this always takes place in the process
Of digestion. Sugar is also derived
from both animal and vegetable
sources. Thus we have milk-sugar
and iver-sugar, which are produced in
the mammary gland and in the liver,
as also sugar of honey, prepared by
the bee. Under vegetable sugars, we
have the cane, grape, and sugar
starch. The fats are also derived from
both animal and vegetable substances.
| Certain kinds of food favor the pro-
ductiOn of fat more than others. This
is particularly the case with those
containing large quantities of sugar.
1t is well established fact that the
negroes as well as the animals, en-
ployed in sugar-growing countries,
grow remarkably fat during the sea-
son of sugar making, and lose this
condition when the season is finished.
But saccharine materials are not suffi-
Gent for this purpose, as is shown
| when swine are fed on substances
containing abundance of starch,
which is easily converted into sugar
by the process of digestion. Fatty or
oily matters must also be supplied.
Pigs fed on boiled potatoes alone,
which contain much starch, fatten
much more slowly than when greasy
substances are also given them in
J some form with the food. The nitro
genous substances, albumen, fibrine
| and caseine, differ from the other
proximate principles, in that they
coagulate, undergo putrefaction, and
| excite fermentation in other sub
stances. These enter largely into the
animal tissues and fluids, and yet ex-
periments show that although highly
| nutritious and necessary as food. if
| given alone, animals become after a
time enfeebled and actually may die
of starvation. No one class of proxi-
mate principles can be sufficient for
the nutrition of the body, but the
food to be nOurishing must contain
all of them, and must be mixed to-
gether in the proportions best suited
for the different kinds of animals. and
| for the purposes in view, whether
the growth of muscle and strength,
the increase of fat, or great amount
of the milk secretion, without regard
l to it's quality. In word, that our
animals may thrive well, there must
be variety in the food given. Steam
ing or cooking the food under certain
circumstances may render some art
icles more palatable, and possibly
more nutritious and more easily di-
gested, but there is no economy in
giving to animals, from whom we ex-
pect anything in return, poor food of
any description, especially if we are
obliged to disguise it and convert it
into heterogeneous mass. Let the
food be good, and the amount depend
upon the age, condition, object in
view, and amount of exercise. Feed
with great regularity, and let there
be variety, remembering that in the
young animal, flesh, strength and fat
are to be formed.