32 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



cowardice, bigotry, or shamming, or a combination of all 

 three, will be required. 



I also notice a critique in the British Review upon Darwin, 

 of which, perhaps, the less said, the critic will fare the 

 better, and to which I wonder the editor gave place. This 

 writer naturallj' adopts the style of ridicule and low char- 

 latanry generally resorted to by critics when they have no 

 good intentions, and when facts are too strong against 

 them. It is perhaps enough for me to quote the fol- 

 lowing few words : " IV/to would place much faith in 

 their conclusions , when, with the appalling fatuity which cha- 

 racterizes all infidel philosophy — .'' " Here we have a good 

 specimen of the furor caused by the odium theologicum. I 

 ■would ask the reader, Doea this contempt of philosophy — 

 for all philosophy is " infidel," and admits nothing on faith 

 — not bear upon its face that the writer sees his false posi- 

 tion, and tries to avail himself, by means of clerical rodo- 

 montade, of bigotry and prejudice I-' Had such a critic 

 lived two or three centuries ago, and had he had the power, 

 he would have met Mr. Darwin's work with the torture and 

 the faggot. In everj' case where a writer has attempted to 

 model science to, or make it subserve, religious doctrine, he 

 has wrecked his work as a work of science. 



Critics maj' carp at, bigots and shammers— or the usual 

 mixture of both— may insult and denounce. Ignorance may 

 not know, and Stupidity may not comprehend, this uni- 

 versal law of nature; but I defy the intelligent, even those 

 who most oppose, to say that thej' entirely disbelieve it— 

 that it is not true ; and I leave these last, like Pistol, to eat 

 the leek and swear. Patrick Mattheav. 



Gourdie Hill, Errol, May 19. 



FARMING ECONOMIES. 



No. II.— RAPE CAKE. 

 Sir, — I know of no more striking proof of the prejudice 

 and want of calculation in British agriculture than the non- 

 use of rape cake as a profitable feeding stutF. Having, dur- 

 ing the last seven yeara, used more than 1 00 tons of it, I can 

 speak of its value with certainty. Mr. Puaey's evidence on 

 this subject, in the " Royal Agricultural Society's Journal," 

 vol. X., p. 247, ought long since to have carried conviction to 

 the agricultural mind. Professor Way's analysis shows 

 (vol. X., p. 494) that its elements have all the value of linseed 

 cake, and I have proved practically that, weight for weight, 

 it will make as much meat as linseed cake, although it costs 

 less than half the price. Its residuary effect in manure, 

 according to Mr. Lawes, gives it a superiority over linseed 

 cake to the extent of 20s. per ton. Above all, its use as a 

 destroyer of wire worm should commend it especially to the 

 farmer of light lands where, this season, many thousands of 

 acres of corn have been crippled or destroyed. On my light 

 land, which used to be particularly subject to wire vf orm, by 

 feeding sheep with rape cake, my wheat crop, to follow clo- 

 ver, is this year in full and luxuriant plant, whilst those of 

 many of my neighbours are seriously injured. A friend of 

 mine who farmslooselight lands in the neighbourhood of Rei- 

 gate, assures me that he has almost cleared his farm of wire 

 worm by the use of 5 cwt, per acre, either ploughed in, or 

 Sown broadcast on the surface. By the latter mode he saved 

 his clover crops, which the wire worm was eating, the rape 

 acting also as a most valuable manure. As one of my sources 

 of profit, rape cake is an important element, enabling me to 

 produce my meat at 50 per cent, less than other farmers 



Of course, if they were as convinced of its value as myself, 

 the price would rise to an equality with linseed cake. A 

 recent trial so alarmed agriculturists as to its use, and so 

 annoyed the firm who had to pay the damages, that they 

 decline warranting any for feeding purposes, and thus its 

 price is kept down. I continue to feed my shee^ and bul- 

 locks with the same sort of cake which was made the sub- 

 ject of the trial, and which I have bought of the same firm 

 for many years, to the extent of 100 tons. It is made from 

 East Indian seed, a sort of mustardj', hot, oleaginous seed . 

 It should not be given to the animals fresh made •, they will 

 not then eat it ; but after keeping for a month or two, sheep 

 aud cattle relish it. Mj- fat sheep are now eating 1 .^Ibs. per 

 day each. Bullocks will eat from 31bs. to Slbs. It is most ex- 

 cellent for cows, Mr. Horsfall being also of that opinion (see 

 Society's "Journal"). It would be wrong to give it imme- 

 diately to animalr just brought in, after much driving and 

 excitement ; but when comfortably settled, and recovered 

 from their fatigue, begin with a little, and gradually increase 

 it. I trust that the saving of £50 out of everj' £100 will 

 tend to remove prejudice in this matter, and thus increase 

 the farmer's profit. I see no reason why it should not be 

 very nutritious for horses, and shall carefully try it on one 

 to satisfy my miud. J. J. Mechi. 



Tijitree, May 28th, 1860. 



PS. — I have at length succeeded in convincing a neigh- 

 bour of mine. His lean sheep and mine came in the aame 

 day. He gave oil cake •, mine had rape cake. When both 

 were fat at the same period, the butcher offered most money 

 for mine. He is now a rape cake feeder. As I now use 

 about 40 tons a year, my saving, as compared with linseed 

 cake, is fully £160 per annum, or near 20s. per acre. Surely 

 my farming friends can now understand how I make my 

 profits. Sheep that have been fed on linseed cake will not 

 eat rape cake unless starved to it. 



SELECTING CALVES FOR REARING.— Use jugd- 

 ment in selecting such heifer calves as are to be reared. 

 Select only those whose mothers are good milkers, and 

 whose sires have come from good milking stock ; at the 

 same lime, the calf itself should have those characteristics 

 that indicate an aptitude to develop good milking qualities, 

 viz. : small, fine head, rather long in the muzzle, bright 

 ejes, thin, tapering neck, small, well-shaped legs, long body, 

 large hind-quarters, set wide behind, soft skin, fine hair — 

 the colour of which is immaterial — and above all, the milk 

 mirror, or udder veins, should be large and well developed. 

 The raising of bull calves for breeders had better be left to 

 those who have time and means to devote their attention to 

 it, and procure the best animals to begin with. It would 

 be no loss to the country were the numerous specimens of 

 scrub bulls, too often seen, condemned to perpetual exile. 

 But there is no reason why a portion of the male calves, at 

 least, should not be reared as bullocks, either for Ihe team 

 or the butcher; and it is important that such as are re- 

 served for this puipose, should possess certain points indi- 

 cative of future excellence, viz. : well-shaped head, small 

 ears, short, thick neck, deep brisket, broad chest and 

 shoulders, line bone, long body, well rounded behind the 

 shoulders, straight back, wide loins, full quarters, tail thm 

 and tapering, skin soft aud not too thin. It is too often the 

 case, that animals are selected for rearing from their being 

 of a pretty colour, that takes the fancy of some member of 

 thefamily ; or the calf of some pet of Ihe dairymaid — without 

 attention being paid to its defects or excellencies. Not 

 unfrequeutly, valuable calves are fattened for veal, simply 

 because their colour is unpleasant to the eye. — New Jersey 

 Dollar Neivspaper.' ' 



