The postnatal rate of growth of animals is greatest immediately after birth, decreases rapidly for a time and then more slowly as maturity is approached. This can be demonstrated by calculating the rate of growth either by the method of Minot1, or by the method of Brody2 which takes into consideration the instantaneous increases in weight during growth. Minot1 has presented evidence in confirmation of this conclusion, based upon observations on man, guinea pigs, rabbits and chicks. The extensive data upon growth of domestic animals collected by the “Growth Committee” of the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station3 and the data of Card and Kirkpatrick4 upon Leghorns and Rhode Island Reds, when recalculated for rate of growth, show the same phenomenon. The increase in weight during growth, aside from water, is essentially protein and ash. Armsby5 in discussing growth, pointed out that the rate of gain of protein per unit of body . . .
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Norris et al. (1930) studied this question.