530 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



Witli that object in view, I trast that it may be accom- 

 plisheil, and tliat the agiicuUiiral community may especially 

 see the great advantage resulting from it. 



THE COMING WINTER. 



At the Wellington Meeting, 



Mr. A. Sanfofd said : At our meetings on these oc- 

 casions we sometimes talk of things that may be useful to us, 

 and there is one subject which I cannot help calling to the 

 attention of the cultivators of the soil. We have had an ex- 

 traordinary summer, and we must look forward, I fear, to a 

 very severe winter and a difficult spring. Let me entreat you 

 to do that which they do in other countries, but which, I am 

 sorry to say, we don't do here. We are excessively extravagant 

 in feeding our cattle. We don't economise in the way we 

 ought to do. We ought to pay more attention to the diflferent 

 kinds of food we possess, and see if we cannot make them go 

 further than they do. I am sure those farmers who don't 

 take care to chaff their hay, to chaflf their oats, and to chaff 

 their straw, will not be able to live through the spring with 

 the same degree of comfort as those who do. When I go 

 through the country I see the straw scattered about the fields 

 for feeding the young stock ; but depend upon it there cannot 

 be a more extravagant way of doing it. If the hay and straw 

 were chaffed, and the stock put in hovels, they would go much 

 further. I give you this hint because I think it may be use- 

 ful to you as agriculturists. Again : how few of us think of 

 cutting up our turnips ! Don't give them to sheep whole, 

 and let them break their teeth in biting them, but cut them 

 up with a little straw, and they will be much more comfortable. 

 When we meet in this way, if we can give a hint or two to 

 one another we ought to do so, and I am sure you will give to 

 any one your attention. 



Mr. Knollys said they were much indebted to Mr. San- 

 ford for the practical turn he had given to the meeting. It 

 rarely happened that they could get together so many gentle- 

 men, representing so many soils, holding different districts, 

 and they ought to get from them some practical lesson that 

 might be carried out with advantage. He thought that what 

 Mr. Sanford had said in reference to the maintenance of stock, 

 during the next winter was of great importance, for unless 

 they could call in some extra aid it would be almost impos- 

 Bible to support the cattle upon the fodder. He thought, 

 however, he might carry the hint still further, for if they 

 would damp their chaff and sprinkle it with a small quantity 

 of linseed, they might keep their stock at small cost. That 

 was a hint which he ventured to throw out, and he was of 

 opinion that it might be acted Upon with advantage. This 

 season, in consequence of the wetness of the weather, the hay, 

 generally speaking, was very bad ; and he would call their at- 

 tention to the advantage of steaming. That was a thing ea- 

 sily done. If nothing better could be obtained, a cheat with 

 holes in the bottom, or a wicker-basket might be used, and 

 by this means the disagreeable properties of the hay be car- 

 ried off. If they would do that, and would use a little barley 

 aud damp the chaff, it was surprising how well their stock 

 would thrive upon it. Again, on hill-farms they might use 

 gorse or furze for their horses. In ordinary years it became 

 ft question whether any thing which gave additional labour was 

 worth a farmer's trying ; but in extraordinary years it was dif- 

 ferent. In North Devon he kept hia horses without hay, and 

 fed them upon bruised gorse, and no man's horses were in 

 better condition than his were. Some might ask, '' But how 

 are we to bruise gorse?" There was no reason why they 

 should not perfectly bruise gorse, because they might pass it 

 through an old chaff-cutter, although with considerable waste. 



If they were going to carry it on for years, he would say get 

 something better ; but for a time they could make an old 

 chaff-cutter answer the purpose. 



The Chairman (Sir A. Hood) said they were all highly 

 indebted to Mr. Sanford for having introduced agricultural 

 subjects, for it was truly desirable that those matters should 

 be brought before them. They were subjects of the gravest 

 importance at the present time. Turnips were not a quarter 

 what they generally were, and the mangold crop was not a 

 half. Hay was bad, generally speaking ; and straw had been 

 much injured. He perfectly agreed with Mr. Knollys, that 

 where hay had been damaged it ought to be steamed. He 

 had tried it, and he should like to compare notes with gentle- 

 men present. He began by putting up a wooden cheat, and 

 that lasted him three years, at the end of which time it be- 

 came rotten and useless. He next tried an iron one, which 

 lasted him about as long as the wooden one, and then became 

 rusty. He then inquired of a gentleman who was a good prac- 

 tical farmer (Mr. Gray, steward to Mr. Dickinson), and he told 

 him he had been using a brick one. He put up a brick one, 

 and found it answer capitally, besides being very cheap. With 

 regard to the feeding of horses upon gorse, it was the most 

 useful thing they could have. Those who had steam-power 

 had only to get two rollers, aud then it might be easily 

 bruised. 



Mr. CORDWENT : Would it grow in our valleys ? 



The Chairman did not think it would answer except 

 where it grew naturally. Five or six years ago he went to 

 Scotland, where the cultivation was as good as it could be, and 

 he found at Stirling they fed their cart-horses in the winter 

 upon chump bean haulm, a chemical analysis of which showed 

 that it was nearly as good as hay. The straw of oats had 

 more proof in it in Scotland than in England, and perhaps that 

 might be the case with bean-haulm, but still they ought to 

 take the subject into their consideration. One question he 

 wished to ask, and that was, whether steaming bad hay was 

 the most economical munner of feeding? In giving cold food 

 they lost a considerable portion in giving heat to the animal's 

 body ; but some said it was cheaper to do it that way than to 

 buy fuel for the purpose. Perhaps Mr. Cordwent would be 

 able to tell them whether pulping roots would not do the same 

 thing, without fuel ? Some said that was a most advantageous 

 plan, but others differed. He believed that, with the roots 

 pulped and mixed with hay, they got the same result, 



Mr. Cordwent said, if they pulped their roots and mixed 

 them with the chaff, the cattle would do well upoa'it. He 

 had not tried steaming, but he did not believe it would 

 answer. 



NEWMARKET FARMERS' CLUB. 



The second annual meeting of this club was held on Oct. 

 30, when the occupants of the broad open champaign country 

 round the great Turf centre mustered inconsiderable numbers. 

 There was this year a small exhibition of stock, the principal 

 features being some of Lady Pigott's celebrated shorthorns, 

 comprising the bulls Earl of Surrey and Lord of Astlard, the 

 cow Duchess, a bull calf, and five other splendid cows and 

 heifers. Her Ladyship did not compete for prizes ; in fact so far 

 from doing so, she offered two premiums, one for shorthorn 

 cows, aud one for butter, which she personally distributed in the 

 course of the afternoon. The shorthorn prize Lady Pigott handed 

 to Mr. Frost, expressing a hope that she should have the 

 pleasure of seeing many more of his animals in the show-yard 

 in future. The cattle prize was carried off by Mr. Benyon. 



