Domestic Animals

AL PRINCIPLES OF BREEDING,

nd the house domestics, the dog and cat; the two former, only in very limited numbers, but both the latter much beyond our legitimate wants. There have been a few specimens of the Alpaca imported, and an arrangement is now in progress for the introduction of a flock of several hundred

is doubtless an approximation to the truth. Sheep have greatly increased since that period, and would probably number, the present year, (1848,) not less than 30,000,000; and if our own manufactures continue to thrive, and we should moreover become wool exporters, of which there is now a reasonable prospect, an accurate ret

l return 50, 20, or even 10 per cent. more in their intrinsic value or marketable product, than the ordinary class. This improvement has been, relatively, most conspicuous in the Western and Southern states; not that the present average of excellence in their animals surpasses, or even reaches that of the North and East; but the latter have long been pursuing this object, with more or less energy, and they have for many years had large numbers of excellent specimens of each variety; while with few exceptions,

Throughout the Northeastern states, cows for the dairy, oxen for the yoke, and both for the butcher, are wanted. In much of the West and South

rge early lambs. The pastures and winter food, climate, and other conditions, present additional circumstances, which should be well

r, for the saddle, as a heavy team horse, or the horse of all work, must

necessary to breed such as will yield the greatest amount of valu

LES OF

d such of the domestic as are allowed to propagate without the interference of art, and whose habits, treatment, and food are nearly similar to their natural condition, the change through successive generations is scarcely perceptible. It is only when we attempt to improve their good qualities, that it is essential carefully to determine, and rigidly to apply, what are adopted as the present scientific principles of

hould unite in themselves all the good qual

grels, with a long-established breed, the latter will most strongly stamp the issue with its own peculiarities. This is forcibly illustrated in the case of the Devon cattle, an ancient race, whose color, form, and characteristics are strikingly perpetuated, sometimes to

ion, climate, treatment, and food, sho

rfect development of the f?tus, easy parturition, and a large supply of milk for the offspring, at a period in

nd hardiness of constitution are desirable. For this purpose, strong masculine development in the sire is proper, and if otherwise unattainabl

e to correcting the imperfections of one anim

brother and sister. When the animal possesses much stamina and peculiar merit, which it is desired to perpetuate in the breed, it may be done either in the ascending or descending line, as in bree

ship, by the selection of equally meritorious st

should be provided, but they must never be allowed to get fat. Of the two evils, starving is pref

life. These periods cannot be arbitrarily laid down, but must depend on their t

the long-wools, or even the long, or short, and the middle-wools. For carcass and constitution, these crosses are unexceptionable; and it is a practice very common in this country, and

M AND CHARA

table use of the domestic brute. The neck should be well formed, not too long, tapering to its junction with the head, and gradually enlarging to a firm, well-expanded attachment to the back, shoulders, and breast. The back or chine should be short, straight, and broad; the ribs springing out from the backbone nearly at right angles, giving a rounded appearance to the carcass, and reaching well behind to a close proximity to the hip; tail well set on, and full at its junction with the body, yet gradually

Lu

edly correct as to working beasts, the horse and the ox, which require full and free respiration, to enable them to sustain great muscular efforts. But later physiologists have assumed, perhaps from closer and more accurate observations, that th

inese pigs have much smaller lungs than the Irish, and the former will fatten to a given weight, on a much less quantity of food than the latter. (Playfair.) The principle would seem to be corroborated by the fact, that animals generally fatten faster in proportion to the quantity of food they consume, as they advance towards a certain stage of maturity; during all which time, the secre

TION IN

t, a vigilant observer, and a practical agriculturist, made an experiment with a "milch-cow and a full-grown horse, which were placed in stalls so contrived that the droppings and the urine could be collected without loss. Before being made the subjects of experiment, the animals were ballasted or fed for a month with the same ratio

d from average samples. The water drunk was measured, its saline and earthy constituents having been previously ascertained. The excrementitious matters passed, were of course collected with the greatest care; the excre

oportions requisite to form water; the excess of hydrogen amounts to as many as from 13 to 15 dwts. It is probable t

BY THE HORSE

e. We

e

Weig

e

tary Matter

en. Oxygen. Az

rt

oz. dwt. lb. oz. dwt.

?0 10 ?7 ?6 ?8 ?8

7 ?0 ?3 18 ?1 10 1

... ... ...

?6 ?1 ?2 ?5 ?8 ?7

ED BY THE HOR

ts. We

e

Weig

e

tary Matter

en. Oxygen. Az

rt

oz. dwt. lb. oz. dwt. lb. oz.

4 ?0 ?3 10 ?0 ?0 ?7 ?0

5 ?6 ?3 ?7 17 ?0 ?5 15 ?

0 ?3 11 ?7 ?0 ?6 ?2 ?3

0 ?0 22 ?6 ?0 10 ?6 ?0 ?1 ?2

3 ?0 ?6 ?6 13 ?0 ?8 ?3 ?

SUMED BY

WATER VOIDE

4 HO

oz. l

?2 ?3 With th

0 14 With the e

as dri

d 38 ?4 Total

consum

monary and cutaneous

D BY THE COW

r. We

e

Weig

e

tary Matter

en. Oxygen. Az

rt

oz. dwt. lb. oz. dwt. lb. oz.

?1 ?4 11 ?2 ?0 ?7 15 ?4

6 11 ?0 ?7 11 11 ?0 11 ?7

0 ... ... ...

1 12 10 13 ?1 ?7 ?2 10

ED BY THE COW

ts. We

e

Weig

e

tary Matter

en. Oxygen. Az

rt

oz. dwt. lb. oz. dwt. lb. oz.

?8 12 ?4 ?7 ?0 ?0 ?6 13

7 ?0 ?8 ?7 ?0 ?0 16 ?0

0 ?1 ?8 ?3 ?0 ?3 ?3 ?0

9 ?6 11 10 ?0 10 12 ?5

28 ?1 ?1 12 10 13 ?1 ?7 ?2

?8 12 ?5 11 ?3 ?0 ?8 10

NSUMED B

WATER VOIDE

4 HO

oz. l

?23 12 With the

??2 ?9 With t

132 ?0 With t

d 158 ?5 Tota

onsumed

ulmonary and cutaneou

says, "from the accurate determination of the quantity of carbon daily taken into the system in the food, as well as of that proportion of it which passes out of the body in the f?ces and urine, unburned, that is, in some form uncombined with oxygen, it appears that an adul

ts of Res

e food have undergone those various transformations which are peculiar to the animal economy, digestion, assimilation, &c., which it is not necessary, nor will our limits permit us here to explain; and they appear at last in the veinous blood, which in the course of its circulation is brought into the cells of the lungs. The air inhaled is sent through every part of their innumerable meshes, and is there separated from the blood

the elevation of the temperature of the animal system. By the ever-operating laws of nature, this chemical union of two bodies in the formation of a third, disengages latent heat,

pira

levated, the papill? of the skin pour the limpid fluid through their innumerable ducts, which in its conversion into vapor, seize upon the animal heat and remove it from the system, producing that delicious coolness so grateful to the laboring man and beast in a sultry summer's day. These two opposing principles, like the antagonistic operations of the regulator in mechanics, keep up a perfec

of the only three elements of fat. The larger size, the fuller play, and the greater activity of the lungs, by exhausting more of the materials of fat, must necessarily diminish its form

ch supplies

which they consume; and in certain cases where there is a deficiency of other food, it is sparingly furnished in woody and cellular fibre. All these substances constitute the principal part of dry vegeta

nomy, while respiration is supplied by the other enumerated vegetable matters. If these last are taken into the stomach beyond the necessary demand for its object, they too are converted by the animal functions into fat, and are stored up in the system for future use. But if the supply of the latter is insufficient for respiration, it first appropriates the vegetable fat contained in the food; if this

ns, from the animal fat and fibre which exist in their food, and whic

which augmen

ogen to keep up the vital warmth. The consumption of food to the fullest extent required for invigorating the frame, creates a desire for activity, and it insensibly induces full respiration. The well-fed, active man, unconsciously draws a full, strong breath; while the abstemious and the feeble, unwittingly use it

stitute of clothing, and subsist on their light, juicy, tropical fruits, which contain scarcely 12 per cent. of carbon, yet furnish all the elements for abundant perspiration; while the forme

erfectly dormant; the thickness of his shaggy coat, his dry bed of leaves, and well-protected den, effectually guarding him from cold, which in addition to his want of exercise, draw slightly upon respi

hich is furnished in the myriads of flies they daily consume. The toad and frog have repeatedly been found in a torpid state, imbedded in limestones, sandstones, and the breccias, where they were probably imprisoned for thousands of years

e open air, between the 21st November and 1st December. They consumed 90 pounds of food per day, the temperature being at 44°, and at the end of this time, they weighed two pounds less than when first exposed. Five sheep were then placed under a shed, and allowed to run about in a temperature of 49°. At first they consumed 82 pounds per day; then 70 pounds, a

e to consume only 30 baskets, and soon after but 25, being only half the quantity required before, and yet they fattened as rapidly as when eating the largest quantity. The minim

DING OF

l-gruel, &c., which, in its composition, approaches nearest in quality to the milk. At a more advanced age, or the time for weaning, grass, hay, roots, or grain, may be substituted, in quantities sufficient to maintain a steady but not a forced growth. Stuffing can only be tolerated in animals which are speedily destined for the slaughter. Alternately improving and falling back

led by differen

of respiration and nutrition, and fattening to a greater or less degree. But some are better suited to one object than

k in larger proportions than from any other food. The growing animal wants bone, muscle, and a certain amount of fat, and these ar

d cotton-seed, the sun-flower, and many other of the mucilaginous seeds. Indian corn is the most fattening grain. The potato contains the greatest proportion of starch, and the sugar-beet has large quantities of sugar, and both consequently are good for stall-feeding. The ripe sugar

en taken from Sprengel, and they are, in general, stated considerably too low. It is an interesting fact, that the proportion of fatty matter in and immediately under the husk of the grains of corn, is generally much greater than in the substance of the corn itself. Thus I have found the pollard of wheat to yield more than twice as much oil as the fine flour obtained from the same sample of grain. The four portions separated by the miller from a superior sample of wheat grown in the neighborhood of Durham

r. H

bre. Sta

. Gluten,

n, &c.

er.

tt

55 10 to 15

15 60 12?

0 50 ?14·5

10 60 14

4 ?15? 50 12·0

16? ?25? 50

10 40 28

?8 50 24·

?5? ?12? ?2·2

5 3 10 1·2

85 3 10 2

30 40 7·1 2 t

, 14 25 40

0 to 15 25 4

12 45 35

2 to 15 50

do. 50 30

o. 45 38

do. 12 25

other circumstances. An approximate relative value is all that can be expected, and this we may hope ere long to obtain, from the spirit of analytical research, which is now developed and in successful progress. More especially do we need these investigations with American products, some of which are but partially cultivated in Europe, whence

in the Foo

ained by careful experiment, that hay, clover, and lucerne lost much of their nutritive qualities by drying, and in lucerne this loss amounted to about thirty-five per cent. This is an important consideration in the feeding of green and dry fo

h it has not been considered so essential for working, and generally, for ruminating animals, as for swine, and such as were stall-feeding. But the alteration pro

. A mixture of food should be supplied to all animals. Like man, they tire of any constant aliment. For such, especially, as are fattening, and which it is desirable to mature with the greatest rapidity, a careful indulgence of their appetite should be studied. They should be provided with whateve

fit of

milk, the flesh, and her young. In the sheep, it may be returned in its fleece, its carcass, or its progeny; and in the swine only by its progeny and flesh. The manure we expect from all; and if this be not se

improvement, either in their ordinary growth or preparation for the butcher. The animal must consume a certain amount of food merely to keep up its stationary condition, and to

requires about 4? per cent. of his weight daily, in nutritious food. A cow to remain stationary and give no milk, eats two per cent. of her weight daily; and if in milk, she will consume three per cent. If these statements are correct, which it is certain they are in principle, though they may no

isk of disease, consequent upon their privation of food, nearly half the year is lost in their use, or in maturing them for profitable disposal; when if one-third of the stock had been sold, the remainder would have been kept in a rapidly i