The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1885-04-25
ANIMAL FORCE.
Tho Kind OF Force Tending to Produce
tho Maximum.


The force exerted by an animal comes
from the actual burning up of the body,
is very great, and in a paper on this
subject Prof. Antrim states that it was
formerly thought that portions of the
muscles themselves were burned when
they contracted, and as the muscles
consist chiefly of protein it was thought
that working animals needed large
supply of protein in their food to make
good the loss of muscle-substance
caused by the work. Later expert
ments showed, however, that no more
protein was burned up in the body dur
ing work than during rest, while very
much more starchy and fatty matter
was burned, and certain authors ear
nestly maintained that working animals
needed chiefly starchy matter and fat
in their food Still more recent exper-
iments have led to notifications of
these views. With our present knowl-
edge upon this subject, the truth APP
pears to be that either protein, carbyd-
rates or fat may serve as fuel in the body
for the production of power. If enough
of the two latter are supplied, no pro-
tein is used. If the supply of them is
deficient, the protein of the body NAV
be used to make up for their lack.
According to this, it would appear
that it makes little difference what pro-
portions of protein, Carbohydrates and
fat the food Of a working animal con-
tains, provided it receives enough of
them all taken together. Reflection,
however, shows that this is not alto.
gether true. In the first place GER
tain waste of protein from the body is
continually going on, whether it is rest
ing or working, and the food must con-
tain enough protein to make good the
waste. In the second place, we have
still much to learn about the origin of
muscular power, and in the meantime
we must hold to practical experience,
and this shows that rations tolerably
rich in protein are best adapted for
working animals.
The food of working animals usually
consists of hay or other coarse fodder
and of grain or some of its bi-products,
notably bran. Such combination will
in all ordinary cases contain an abun-
dance of protein, so that we have sim
ply to take care that enough is pro-
vided. In our table of standards, ra-
tions are given for working oxen and
horses, but it seems doubtful if these
can ever prove of much practical use.
The amount of food must vary, of
course, with the amount of work re-
quired from the animal, and must be
determined by observation in each par
ticular case, while if ordinary folders
are used, the proportion of protein to
other digestible matter will take care
of itself.
Certain other points, however, de-
serve notice. One of these is the bulk
of the food, This will be determined
largely by the amount of coarse fodder
given. Average coarse fodder contains
but little over half its weight of di.
gestible matter; the grains con.
tain seventy-tive to eighty per cent.
In other words, the grains contain only
about half as much useless material or
'ballast" as do the coarse folders.
The more coarse fodder an animal eats,
then, the more of this ballast, is it
obliged to chew, swallow, work over in
its stomach and intestines, and carry
about with it. All this involves work,
and the force so applied is just so much
subtracted from the amount available
for useful work. Moreover bulky
fodder offers mechanical hindrance to
rapid motions such as are required of
the horse in particular, in whom over
loading the stomach with bulky food
may lead to the most serious conse-
quences. A certain bulk of fodder is,
of course, desirable, both that the
first stomach of oxen may be properly
filled and rumination properly per-
formed, and to prevent, in case of the
horse, the impaction that is liable to
follow the too free use of ground feed.
The question of corn VS.. oats for
horses is one that is often raised.
Viewed in the light of the above re-
marks there would seem to be but little
choice between them. Oats contain
more protein than corn, but we have
seen that this difference is Snot of very
great moment. Provided corn meal
were mixed with cut hay or straw to
prevent impaction, there would seem
to be no reason why it should not serve
as good purpose as oats. Neverthe-
less, experience has shown that while
corn is an excellent feed for draft
horses it can not take the place of oats
in those cases in which ''life" and
Esprit" are required, as in roadsters or
racers.-F'ar1n, Field and Stockmdn.