BY USE OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF FOOD. 281 



for next year's Christmas market. During the remaining winter 

 months they are fed upon turnips and straw, and in many cases 

 they get also 1 or 2 lbs. of linseed cake or cotton-seed cake 

 every day. In May they are turned out to pasture of the first 

 year's growth — rye grass with a large proportion of red and 

 white clover. In August or September, when the nights grow 

 long and cold, they are taken indoors all night, and fed with 

 green corn and tares or beans grown together. As soon as the 

 turnip crop is ready for use, about the middle of September, 

 they are tied up permanently. I'or the next three months they 

 never leave their byres but for exercise. Highly fed cattle are 

 apt to take sore feet if they are not turned out once a week to 

 exercise their limbs. 



The process of fattening now commences in earnest. The 

 cattle feeder's mainstay is turnips. Each animal receives a daily 

 allowance of 112 lbs. — perhaps less at first, but after a time 

 even more. Straw also ad lihitiiiii is allowed. White and 

 yellow turnips are given at first, because they are ready for use 

 before swedes ; but the latter are preferred as soon as they are 

 mature, usually about the end of October. At first, turnips are 

 given to the cattle with the tops on, because they contain a 

 great amount of nutriment. As the season advances the tops 

 are taken off, both because the nutriment in the leaves has 

 descended into the roots, and also because as the cattle grow fat 

 the daily allowance of turnips must be increased, and the tops 

 having a laxative effect it is found desirable to take them off 

 when a large quantity of swedes is given. 



When cattle are taken in from summer pasture in good 

 condition, they can be made very fat in the course of four or 

 five months, upon a liberal allowance of topped swedes and 

 straw, without the aid of extra food. Turnips, however, are not 

 mature before the middle of September, and swedes not for a 

 month later, and the London Christmas market is held in the 

 middle of December, so that practically the stall-feeding of 

 Christmas bullocks must be accomplished in the short space of 

 three months. The consequence is that the feeders of the best 

 class of cattle have to make use of some highly nutritious food 

 in addition to turnips. The feeding stull's most generally 

 employed are oats, barley, and maize, among the grains ; locust 

 beans, tares and beans, among leguminous seeds ; and linseed and 

 cotton seed, among the oilseeds. These last two are generally 

 used in the form of cakes made in the process of extracting oil 

 from the ground seeds. Linseed oil is also used, but not often 

 alone ; gent*rally it is mixed with ground grain. 



Notwithstanding the great number of cattle feil annually, 

 and the care and attention bestowed U])on them, it is by no 

 means a settled point what food or combination of foods is 



