The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1900-08-15
INFLUENCE OF FOOD.

The manner of feeding and the ma
turc of the food has the greatest IN
iluence of all in developing dairy pre-
potency. There is scarcely II scientific
TACT more generally accepted than that
food is potent in forming the animal,
and in establishing function. The
Matched egg of u bee, if fed in one
way, produces the sterile worker,
while if fed royal jelly in royal cell,
there is produced an egg-laying queen.
Animals which feed on flesh and blood
are fierce, while those which sustain
life on coarse vegetable matter are
usually mild and timid in disposition.
Protein nouIishment induces various
functional cell activities, while starChes,
and other hydrocarbons induce fatty
dispositions, and SO On; but the mere
presence of such elements in the blood
cou"sing through the body has COM
paratively small influence unless
special nervous stimulation directs the
blood torcibly to the part to be develop.
ed and stimulate cellular activity.
Nevertheless, if a certain special ele-
| ment Is in the blood, that element will
to some extent of itself alone induce
activity in those cells largely composed
OF such special element; while cells
making use of other elements will
remain comparatively quiesccnt
1t should also be remembered that a
food largely composed of one nourish-
ing element, if brought in contact with
the particular digestive surface that
digcsts and assimilateS il, will itself
act as a stimulating lrrltant hy mere
mechanical contact as well perhaps as
by chemical and biological activity, and
such stimulating effect will be kept up
while such food Is present. Sometimes
such irritation becomes excessive and
Injuries the digestive surface through
over, and hence abnormal action. TO
develop function, therefore, food should
not be either too easy Of digestion, or
too difficult, and it should be of such
bulky character as to insure sufficient
ly continuous contact with all of the par
ticular digestive surfaces involved in
its digestion.
1t is generally acknowledged that
feeding for milk production must com
mence at the youngest age. For the
best effect, that period is in the earliest
stages of foetal life, and a narrow ia
tion is good for the future COW, ad
ministCred to the dam carrying tho
calf in utero, as well as to the newl,
: born calf. 1t seems to me that some
} modification of prevailing usage in tn,
feeding of the immature cow would en-
, hance dairy prepotency. For example
, it is regularly recommended by mos
authorities that young GARY stool
J should be kept thriftily growing, ant
almost always, by means of the feeding
, OF skimmilk, for quite heightened
, period, along with oats and other COP
2 centrated and easily dgestcd food
There is good economic reason 70
such advice in ordinary dairyman'
practice, but we are now considerin.
means of increasing dairy prcpotency
and with that object in view it seems
as II such advice might fail of th
special object, if practiccd.
AS for tatness in the young dair,
animals, that of course should be rulct
out; but should not also any tcndenc,
| to sappy condition of growth in tn,
general frame also be avoided? ? Wher
is the value of having dairy anima
whose hide on its back or sides vii
handle like kid glove 2 The integll
ment of the udder should be of tha
character, and the tissues of the uddc
should be of a sarpy nature, but no
the tissues of the balance of the bod,
II possible. 1t seems to me that con
dition that would almost be considered
as stunted should be maintained in tn,
dairy animals at all times, except whcl
she would be in calf or in milk, in or
der to repress cXuberancc of blood flow
as much as possible to those parts 0
the body in which such flow is new
wanted. And furthermore, that any
marked activity the digestive and
assimilative organs should only be Ell
couraged during those periods whcr
the mammary tissue is receiving it,
local nerve stimulus and is engagca il
its functional activity. In this way
there would be a great probability o.
increasing the relative development
and activity of the mammary apparatu.
tendency.-Ho@rd's Doiryman.