58 EEPOETS ON DIFFERENT DESCRIPTIONS OF FOOD FOE STOCK. 



Au attempt was made with sheep likewise. Eight Cheviots, - 

 in order to have a duplicate experiment, were put up in the same 

 way in pairs, and at the same date ; but from their having been 

 unused to confinement they made but little progress, and the 

 experiment with them was a failure. ISTo notice is therefore 

 taken of them hereafter. 



The milch cows had all calved in the last fortnight of Decem- 

 ber 1863, and were as nearly alike in size, age, and condition as 

 we had. The feeding beasts were chosen from a number of 

 others which had fed together for at least two months. The 

 queys and stirks had fed together all their lives. The milch 

 cows, feeding beasts, and queys were fed in stalls, and the stirks 

 in loose boxes. It was thought better to give a fair proportion 

 of beanmeal and fodder along with the roots, than merely roots 

 alone, simply because, in the best practice, this is always done ; 

 and our object was to get the comparative values of swedes and 

 mangolds — not so much per se, as under the conditions in which 

 they are used in ordinary practice. The roots and hay chaff were 

 steamed in eight separate boilers (one for each lot), put up 

 expressly for experimental purposes. These were filled and 

 steamed twice a-day. The roots were weighed as they were put 

 in, on a machine standing close to the boiler, and the hay chaff 

 and salt were measured in the dishes used for carrying them. A 

 " cooler" was provided for each lot, in which the food was put 

 direct from the boilers, and in which it was mixed, divided, and 

 carried to the cattle troughs. The beanmeal was weighed once 

 a-day, and was put into old milk dishes, which were set in the 

 feeding passage opposite to their respective lots. The hay and 

 straw used were put up into "bottles" weighed to 4 lbs. each, a 

 week's supply being put up at a time. The byre was very suit- 

 able for the purpose, there being a passage both behind and before 

 the cows. The weight of the milk was taken as drawn from the 

 cows, morning and evening, by means of a 30 lb. Salter's spring- 

 balance, adjusted to stand at zero with the empty "luggie" on. 

 It was set in a convenient place at the entrance to the milk-house, 

 and beside it, on a window sill, lay the milk-book and pencil. 



On February 3d all the animals were weighed. All the lots 1 

 were then put on the swede diet, and all the lots 2 on the man- 

 golds. On February 17th they were again weighed. The lots 1 

 were now put on mangolds, and the lots 2 on swedes, and so on, at 

 March 2d, March 16th, and March 30th, when the experiment was 

 concluded. These weighings will be found in Table II. 



On the second last day of each fortnight the milk given was taken 

 to represent the produce from swedes and mangolds respectively 

 One sample from each milking on that day was put into a long 

 glass hydrometer jar, graduated into 100 parts, in order to ascer- 

 tain the percentage of cream, which was read off after standing 



