226 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



Weight of Animals, Sept. 4. Weight of Animals, Nov. 2. Increase. 



No. 1, 575 lbs. No. 1, 642 lbs. No. 1, 67 lbs. 



No. 2, 648 " No. 2, 717 " No. 2, 69 " 



No. 3, 802 " No. 3, 934 " No. 3, 132 " 



No. 4, 682 " No. 4, 825 " No. 4, 143 " 



I adhered to the distinctive kinds of food fed to each animal, 

 although it has been deemed desirable by some to indulge their 

 appetites by a mixture or variety of fodder, as animals often, 

 like man, tire of any constant aliment. In the present instance 

 this did not appear to be tlie case, as the animals Avere never 

 overfed, but their food was increased in small quantities and 

 given to them little at a time and often. Punctuality in feed- 

 ing was strictly observed. 



The animal stomach is a very nice measurer of time, and 

 nothing is more important than to keep the animal as quiet and 

 as well satisfied as possible ; and if the time be variable or the 

 usual hour passed over, he becomes hungry and restless, and 

 his condition will suffer, of course. In the selection of food I 

 have been guided by past experience. In the choice of potatoes 

 it has been proved that cattle fed upon them will, in general, 

 have as much tallow as those fed in any other way ; and the beef 

 of such cattle is thought by many to have a peculiar juiciness 

 or sweetness. Experiments which have come to my knowledge, 

 of boiling or steaming potatoes for neat stock, have not yet sat- 

 isfied me that the advantages accruing are an adequate com- 

 pensation for the labor and expense incurred. The animal 

 No. 2 shows an increase of sixty-nine pounds, which is a little 

 more than a pound a day for the time of fattening, (sixty days.) 

 This is a small increase compared with Nos. 3 and 4, fattened 

 on Indian and oil meal, and increases the expense of fattening 

 on potatoes about two-thirds of a cent more than fattening on 

 Indian meal, as will be seen by the following table : — 



Value of Meat 

 per lb. 



No. 1. Half ton of hay, $6.00 9 cents. 



" 2. 40 bush, small potatoes, at 1 shilling, 6.67 9f " 

 " 3. 11^ bush, of meal, at $1.05, . . . 11.81 9 "' 



ii 



4. 11 1 bush, of oil meal, at $1, . . . 11.25 7| " 



