FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 256, 8 April 1915, Page 7

FARM AND DAIRY.

SOURCES OF NUTRIMENT. Although the plants ; seeds, etc., used as feeding stuffs in \arious countries are infinitely various, the nutriment given by them all is derived from the •same fundamental sources. Four eleiueiits*are principally concerned in the ultimate composition of all foods, allowing an actual uniformity and simplicity of structure where it would seem more natural to look for great diversity and complexity. These four elements are nitrogen, eavbon, hydrogen and oxygen, which, with small quantities of various mineral matters, constitute the bulk of all foods. These elements have to be organised in plants before they are able to maintain life.

An animal fed exclusively on staich or albumen would soon die. The scientist Ma.jendie found that geese fed okclusively on gum extracted from food died in sixteen days, those fed on starch from the same source in twenty-six days, while those fed on white of egg (albumen) died in forty-six days. If feeding exclushely on the one substance is starvation, it will clearly lie seen that feeding on foods which contain one constituent in excessive proportion is practically semi-starvation. The dry mailer of foods, exclusive of mineral matter, of which all foods cm.lain some, may lie divided into nitrogenous and non-nitrogenous matter. The nitrogenous matter consists of allmminnids. The non-nitrogenous group is made np of carbohydrates oils and fibre.

Albuminoids contain ].">." of nitrogen, which uei-fovms ihe vitallv noc< ss.ut ■lute of replacing ihe waste of tissue. Foods rich in albuminoids are. often fed in excess, and the. quantity above that required to repair tissue waste is merely wasted, or. at most, supplies Ileal: io the body, which could lie done much more, cheaply by means of the car-bo-hydrates. The albuminoids are ?e;:.;i meat (muselel formers.

Carbohydrates are the most important of the non-nitrogenous group. They occur in various forms in different foods, usually as starch gum, sugar and cellulose. These supply heat and store fat. The oils (fat) are great heat and fatproducers, like the carbohydrates, but are about two and a-half t'ur.ea ;;s valuably in this respect. Foods rich la oil are highly digestible.