It has been already observed that the animal tissues are composed of albuminous or nitrogenous compounds, fat, mineral matters, and water; but the proportions of these substances have, until lately, been very imperfectly known. Water is well known to be by far the largest constituent, and amounts in general to about two-thirds of the entire weight, and it has been generally supposed that the nitrogenous matters stood next in point of abundance, but a most important and elaborate series of experiments by Messrs. Lawes and Gilbert have shewn that they are greatly exceeded by the fatty matters. The following table contains a summary of the composition of ten different animals in different stages of fattening. The first division gives the composition of the carcass, that is, the portion of the animal usually consumed as human food; the second that of the offal, consisting of the parts not usually employed as food; and the third that of the entire animals, including the contents of the stomach and intestines:-- [Transcriber's note: Column titles are printed vertical, which is not possible to do here. Therefore they are replaced with a 2-3 character code, explained here] Column titles: MM = Mineral Matter NC = Nitrogenous Compounds TDS = Total Dry Substance CSI = Contents of Stomachs and Intestine in moist state. Wat = Water |--------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | ||Per cent in Offal, excluding | | | Per cent in Carcass || contents of Stomachs and | | | || Intestines. | | |------------------------||-----------------------------| | | MM | NC | Fat| TDS| WAT|| MM | NC | Fat | TDS | WAT | |-------------------|----|----|----|----|----||-----|-----|-----|-----|-----| |Fat Calf |4.48|16.6|16.6|37.7|62.3|| 3.41| 17.1| 14.6| 35.1| 64.9| |Half-fat Ox |5.56|17.8|22.6|46.0|54.0|| 4.05| 20.6| 15.7| 40.4| 59.6| |Fat Ox |4.56|15.0|34.8|54.4|45.6|| 3.40| 17.5| 26.3| 47.2| 52.8| |Fat Lamb |3.63|10.9|36.9|51.4|48.6|| 2.45| 18.9| 20.1| 41.5| 58.5| |Store Sheep |4.36|14.5|23.8|42.7|57.3|| 2.19| 18.0| 16.1| 36.3| 63.7| |Half-fat old Sheep |4.13|14.9|31.3|50.3|49.7|| 2.72| 17.7| 18.5| 38.9| 61.1| |Fat Sheep |3.45|11.5|45.4|60.3|39.7|| 2.32| 16.1| 26.4| 44.8| 55.2| |Extra fat Sheep |2.77| 9.1|55.1|67.0|33.0|| 3.64| 16.8| 34.5| 54.9| 45.1| |Store Pig |2.57|14.0|28.1|44.7|55.3|| 3.07| 14.0| 15.0| 32.1| 67.9| |Fat Pig |1.40|10.5|49.5|61.4|38.6|| 2.97| 14.8| 22.8| 40.6| 59.4| |-------------------|----|----|----|----|----||-----|-----|-----|-----|-----| |Mean of all |3.69|13.5|34.4|51.6|48.4|| 3.02| 17.2| 21.0| 41.2| 58.8| |-------------------|----|----|----|----|----||-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|