The Meeker herald., 1906-03-24
FOOD VALUE TESTS
souAT1szs SEEK 10 s1cu1a
BEST 8uTT11 AID 110



Daratus for i1ae
Purpose
The UAvsrsfty Of Ps0nsylvania ct
Harrisburg has lately begun expert
ments to test foods for cattle. The ex-
periments are directed toward the sci
entifc feeding of cattle to ind out exact
ly what foods are the best adapted to
produce the best milk, the best nssh and
the best butter.
1t il not the plan Of the Pennsylvania
chemists who are conducting the tests
70 starve scientifically the cattle with
which they are making their expert
ments nor to try the effects OF poison
on them. On the contrary. the sole pur-
pose of the tests Is to ind 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. It IL an apparatus which
measures with exactnsss the gases
given of by . 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 calon-
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 q COM
Portable stall. The walls of the cham
Der are double, the inner one being .
sheet copper. while the outer one il OF
sine, 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 OF the interior from the
world outside except 70 far ~ 1t can
be seen through . double plate glass
window.
When an animal - placed In this
hermeticaliy sealed coll all air il cut
OF from 1t. save that which II supplied
By . meter pump. which sends in .
uniform quantity Of dry. pure air at
stated inter. ais. The pump not only
sends tho air currents in, but It draws
. sample of it at stated intervals. An
other pump draws samples for IN
analysis At the same instant that the
injector does. By comparing these
samples 1t ID easy to tall exactly what
bases and how much the animal has
added to the air and to determine the
amount of xasss given OF by different
foods.
Tho copper inside box oe this cham
ber II surrounded BY two wooden box
q, each box being eight inches larger
than the one inside It. When In use
they arc kept 1t exactly the temper
allure OF the air surrounding the stall,
and thus there h no los Of heat from
the chambse In which the animal ID
placed.
BY . simple adjustment the air h
made to leave and enter the cell at the
same temperature. and thus there il
no loss on that account. 30 all the
heat that the animal gives on remains
in the chamber. which 10 carefully
registered BY delicate electrical Their
mometers.
But II the hest remained in The cell
Il would result in the place soon BE-
coming unbearably hot, and 80 an AZ
rangement ID made to keep It at one
temperature by means of coils Of cold
water. which absorbs the heat almost
~ fast a. 1t IL given OF. The instru-
ments measure the most minute varia-
tons OF heat, and these facts are class
lied with the result Of air analysis.
Thus the amount oe wA9te and heat
created BY saeh Ind a food can b
calculated.
In making . ~ eAs animal h
usually placed In ths eaiorimster 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 il usual
~ begun and usually lasts for 48 hours.
At the end of that time the animal 10
taken from the cell and carefully sx-
amined by experts and . full report Of
it, condition 10 made 10 20 With the
eas and temperature analysts.
Then II the animal = intended for
bsef 1t II killed and samples Of it,
flesh, blood and various organs are put
through . most careful series Of anal
ysis. II 1t IL for the purpose Of i'm
proving the milk Or butter supplies,
these products ass tastsd and ~ ~
sults tabula4sd.-
1Avs 1oe Fruit 0eowSse
uguhardists in Tasmania are subject
A. . A. 49,. e. m -&xh