394 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



made on what it leaves for profit, and reckoned at 8s. to lOs. 

 per ton. Tbia ia a very unsafe rule : if taken on its quantum 

 of nutritive matter, it assumes a different value ; as dry mate- 

 rial, you cannot obtain any concentrated food equally nutritive 

 at less than £7 to £8 per ton, which would give IBs. to 20s. 

 per ton as their value in the natural state. 



The great proportion of water contained in these roots 

 would, however, prove a serious drawback to their extended 

 cultivation for sale at a distance. You can convey in hay 

 six times, and in oil-cake or beans twelve times, the quantity 

 of nutritive matter contained in turnips. A consideration of 

 this has o(ten reminded me of the great additional labour in- 

 curred by those who give turnips wholly as food to the amount 

 of 170 lbs. to 180 lbs. per day. A feeder who maintains 100 

 head of cattle will be conveying at the rate of 23 to 25 tons 

 weekly of supeifluous water from his field, of which the effect 

 will be to increase the bulk of his manure without aiding to 

 its value. Some small advantage is derived from the watery 

 property of the turnip, particularly when stored, in conse- 

 quence of its supplying beverage in a less chilling state than 

 by cold water alone, from drinking freely of which in severe 

 v.eather I have seen cattle seriously chilled. 



My crop in succession to mangel or turLips is that of beans, 

 which I prize highly for my purpose, affording as it does a 

 large amount of the nitrogenous element. I have hitherto 

 cultivated the common kinds of field-beans. On the recom- 

 mendation of an acquaintance, who stated that I might reckon 

 on a much larger produce from the long-pod or garden bean, 

 in 1856 I set out amongst a crop of field beans an interval of 

 1,670 yards for trial of the sword variety of long-pod beans. 

 The produce was carefully weighed, and found to be of — 



Field beans, white blossom, 52 bushels of 631bs. 



at5a £13 



Straw, fully 2 toua per acre 4 



£17 



Long-pods, on 1,670 yards 1,435 lbs, =66 bushels 



perof 63lbs. per acre £16 1 



Straw, 1 J tons per acre 3 10 



£20 

 The garden or long-pod beans having ripened a fortnight 

 before the field beans, and having been left standing till the 

 same time, had lost almost all their leaves. Their appearance, 

 however, denoted a less weight of straw even if cut sooner 

 than the field bean. The price of bean straw, £2 per ton, is 

 low in proportion to its value in the analysis given in vol, 

 xvsii., page 263 of this Journal. 



A sample of long-pod beans gave the following composition 

 on analysis by Professor Way : 



Moisture , . 

 Woody fibre 

 Albuminous matter 

 Oil and fatty matter 

 Starch, gum, sugar 

 Ash 



1250 

 4-35 



28-25 

 405 



46 95 

 3'90 



10000 

 On referring to the various analyses to which I have access", 

 I find the comparison favourable to the long-pod, which has 

 less of woody fibre in proportion of 4 35 to 10 20, with more 

 of starch in proportion of 46'95 to 42, and more of oil in pro- 

 portion of 4 05 to 2 per cent, than the common or field-bean. 

 The cultivation of the long-pod is precisely similar to that of 

 the common kinds. The seed is strewed in drills or otherwise 

 dibbled in rows 2 feet apart. The horse-hoe is applied seve- 

 ral tim."? \'-'\vrpn the rows, and every weed pulled up. 



With the view of comparison I give the proceeds of my 



wheat crop of 1856. This is the third in my rotation, after 

 which I again cultivate turnips or other green crops : 



£ 8. d. 

 Average 5 qrs. (631bB. per bushel) of wheat of "i , _ ,f, « 



good quality, at 62s j 15 lU U 



In feiior wheat 12 6 



Straw, 88 cwt. per acre, SSs. per ton 



16 2 6 

 1 13 9 



£17 16 3 

 I state the price I pay for straw for fodder; every cwt. con- 

 tains about 401bs. of starchy matter available for respiration, 

 which I obtain, together with a small per-centage of albumen, 

 for Is. 9d. per cwt., or 35s. per ton. 



Treatment of Milk-fever. — Those of my milk cows which I 

 retain for some time on hand are invariably in high condition, 

 and on this account more liable to milk-fever. I think it per- 

 tinent to explain the method I use to prevent this malady. It 

 is now six or seven years since I lost a cow from milk-fever. 

 On conversing on the subject with a gentleman who had been 

 on a visit to Mr. Fenton, who kept a considerable number of 

 dairy cows near Rochdale, he described to me the means used 

 by that gentleman, which, with probably some modifications of 

 my own, I have since continued to apply. No difference 

 is observed in the cow's treatment or food till the symptoms of 

 calving appear. Her supply of water is then limited to about 

 one-half of what she would drink. When she has calved, and 

 for two days afterwards, she is plentifully supplied with a 

 quantity of oatmeal grael twice per day, with about 21bs. of 

 treacle each time in the gruel. No water is given separately ; 

 she ia allowed her ordinary food. After calving she is milked 

 every 3 to 4 hours for two days or upwards. The attendant is 

 enjoined not to strip her milk clean, but leave a little in her 

 udder, in the manner he would use in drying a cow of her 

 milk. When two to three days are over, she is supplied with 

 water and food ad libitum, and the ordinary process of milking 

 clean twice per day resorted to. 



The only instance of milk-fever since I adopted these pre- 

 cautionary means occurred in 1855, under the following cir- 

 cumstances. I bought a cow in July to calve in September ; 

 her appearance denoted good milking properties. She dropped 

 her calf whiht out on pasture, and without giving the previous 

 notice by filling the udder, or showing symptoms of giving 

 much milk. I then told her attendant he need not use the 

 precaution, but supply her with food and drink to promote 

 her secretion of milk. Within two days of her having calved, 

 the feeder came to me with the intelligence that she had drop- 

 ped. On arriving at her stall, I found her case a decided and 

 severe one. Having collected a sufiRcient number of assistants, 

 together with our village druggist, Mr. Holden, who on occa- 

 sions of emergency was called in to assist, and on this occasion 

 was the chief adviser, we resorted to the appliance of bags 

 filled with the hot steamed food, of which there was a plentiful 

 supply in readines?. These were placed along her spine and 

 sides, and on cooling replaced with others ; this operation was 

 continued from noon till evening. During the same time men 

 were coutinually engaged (relieving each other) in squeezing 

 from her teats what little milk they could. The bags of hot 

 steamed food had the effect of inducing a profuse perspiration. 

 A dose or two of sulphate of magnesia were given, then linseed- 

 oil, but without effect; after this treacle with brandy in half- 

 pint doses, to the extent of 10 to 121b8. She was several times 

 pierced with the trocar to relieve her from gas by which she 

 was distended. Aperient medicine was also given. The symp- 

 toms of the malady began to abate in the evening. Early next 



