The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1905-03-16
BEST BEEF AND BUTTER.
scientific Experimsnts with Cows in
ALRIGHT Calls in Test
Food Value.

Food Value.
The University OF Pennsylvania q
Harrisburg has lately begun expert
ments to test foods for cattle. The ex-
periments are directed toward the sci
entific feeding ofcattle to find out exact
ly what foods are the best adapted to
produce the best milk. the best flesh anu
the best butter,
1t is not the plan of the Pennsylvania
scientists who are conducting the tests
to starve scientifically the cattle with
which they are making their experi-
ments nor to try the effects of poison
on them. On the contrary, the sole pur-
pose of the tests is to find out what foods
or combination of foods will produce the
richest results and the cost thereof.
To make their tests correct they have
invented what they call respiration
calorimeter. 1t is an apparatus which
measures with exactness the gases
given off by a cow or an O.: and the
heat generated in the animals body
during the process of assimilation.
The respiration part of the apparatus
attends to the gases and the calori-
meter to the temperature. In this ma
chine for months past series OF the
most valuable tests has been made and
the scientists who have been supervis-
ing them are enthusiastic over the re.
suits that they have secured
The respiration calorimeter consists
Of double-walled chamber, 6x10 feet
and eight feet high, containing COM
Portable stall. The walls of the cham
Der are double, the inner one being
sheet copper, while the outer one is Of
zinc, with an air space between. The
door through which the animal enters
and the small opening through which
food is given to the animal, close air
tight. shutting off the interior from the
world outside except so far as it can
be seen through a double plate glass
window
When an animal is placed in this
Theoretically sealed cell all air is cut
off from it, save that which is supplied
by q meter pump, which sends in
uniform quantity of dry. pure air at
stated inter. ais. The pump not only
sends the air currents in, but it draws
a sample of it at stated intervals. An
other pump draws samples for an
analysis at the same instant that the
injector does. BY comparing these
samples it is easy to tell exactly what
bases and how much the animal has
added to the air and to determine the
amount of gases given OF by different
foods.
The copper inside. box of this cham
Der is surrounded by two wooden box
es. each box being eight inches larger
than the one inside it. When in use
they are kept at exactly the temper
allure of the air surrounding the stall,
and thus there is no loss Of heat from
the chamber in which the animal is
placed.
BY simple adjustment the air is
made to leave and enter the cell at the
same temperature, and thus there is
no loss on that account. So all the
heat that the animal gives of remains
in the chamber. which is carefully
registered by delicate electrical Their
mometers.
But if the heat remained in the cell
It would result in the place soon be.
coming unbearably hot. and so an ar.
rangement is made to keep It at one
temperature by means of coils Of cold
water. which absorbs the heat almost
as fast as it is given off. The instru-
ments measure the most minute varia-
lions of heat, and these facts are class
flied with the result OF air analysis.
Thus the amount of waste and heat
created by each kind of food can be
calculated.
In making a test the animal Is
usually placed in the ,calorimeter be-
tween one and two o'clock in the after
noon. The next few hours are spent In
adjusting the instruments At six
o'clock in the evening the test is usual
~ begun and usually lasts for 4S hours.
At the end of that time the animal is
taken from the cell and carefully ex-
amined by experts and a full report Of
its condition is made to go with the
gas and temperature analysis.
Then if the animal is intended for
beef it is killed and samples of its,
flesh. blood and various organs are put
through most careful series of anal
ysis. If it is for the purpose of i'm
proving the milk or butter supplies.
these products are tested and the re-
suits tabulated.