THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



Dr. £ s. d. 



Eight old beasts, at £19 152 



20'weeks' keep at an average of lOlb, 



of cake per day, at Id. per lb.... Os. lOd. 



3 bush, of mangold wurtzel at '2d. per 



bush Os. 6d. 



^ peck of meal, at 4d. 



Is. 8d, 



I. 8d. per day each beast x 140 days 

 beasts 



Os. 4d. 

 Is. 8d. 



Attendance 



Cr. 



93 6 8 

 5 



Eight beasts sold at £22 10«. each 

 Loss on eight beasts, at £8 15s.... 



230 6 8 

 The loss of £o \os. lOd. per head is a slow road to riche-s 

 especially when the ulterior result is known. My friend 

 found that the beasts had made 1G5 loads of muck, which 

 he applied to 11 acres of land, at the rate of 15 loads per 

 acre, and which, with the labour of filling, carting, and 

 spreading, cost nearly £7 per acre— a larger amount 

 than the two succeeding crops realized for the manure 

 applied, after deducting the outlay for seed, rent, rates, 

 tithes, and labour. This was but a poor speculation; 

 but we have heard of worse. I have known beasts 

 realize but the price at which they were purchased 

 at market in their lean state ; but, presuming the 

 year to be an average one, and that the popular 

 opinion is realized by the beasts paying simply for 

 the artificial food, still, on the above scale of feeding, at 

 3 bushels of root per day, there is a loss of Js. 2d. per head 

 per week, in the cost of mangold wurtzels consumed aud 

 attendance, or £4 3s. 4J. per head upon tlie 20 weeks ; 

 which, if each beast has mauufacturtd 20 loads of manure, 

 is 4s. 2d. per load, or 415 per cent, beyond the cost at which 

 younger beasts would have manufactured it ; for whilst on 

 the average, as generally allowed, older beasts pay nothing 

 for root crop, I believe, on the average, younger bea-ts, 

 with economical feeding, do pay for the food consumed, just 

 keeping the Dr. aud ("r. accouat at par, and the manure is 

 thereby secured gratis, without loss in the grazing trans- 

 actions. I am convinced beasts, at the best, make but a 

 poor return ; and my friend before alluded to, who had lost 

 yearly l)y his bullock grazing, and as au ultimatum lost 

 £8 15s. lOd. per head, was so dissatisfied that he wisely re- 

 solved upon a change. He has since gradually given up 

 beasts, and substituted the best riding colts he can purchase, 

 and sheep. He has now each year from 50 to 70 colts by 

 him, which he buys at a range in price varying from £20 to 

 £70. These he fattens in loose boxes, which his beasts 

 once occupied, in 20 weeks, thereby making two returns in 

 the mangold wurtzel season of 40 weeks. The following is 

 the dietarv, with the actual cost and results : — 



s. d. 

 1 bushel of cut mangold wurtzel, at 2d. x 7 days ..1 2 



.', cwt. of hay at 3s. per cwt. per week 16 



r peck of bran at 2J. x 7 days, with straw chaff ..1 2 

 Attendance 3 



4 1 

 Cost for first ten weeks 4s, Id. per week. 

 Superior scale of feeding for fattening. In this case boiled 

 wheat is used with good success, and I would here re- 

 mark that 1 peck of dry wheat absorbs 3 pecks of water, 

 making 3 pecks of boiled wheat: 8. d. 



1 peck ot boiled wheat per day at4d. x 7 days ..2 4 



i peck of barley meal at 2d. x 7 days 1 2 



3 pecks of cut beet at l^d. x 7 days 10^ 



^ cwt. of hay in truss, or cut with 2-3rd straw at 3s. 1 G 

 Attendance 3 



Cost for second 10 weeks, Gs. IJd. per week. 

 The result has been that my friend has reaped a clear 



profit of 8d. per bushel for the mangold wurtzel consumed, 

 which, if calculated by the acre, is a very different _ return 

 from his serious losses, at bullock grazing, of the entire root 

 crop, and a little money in addition. The ild. per bushel 

 includes interest of capital, and deaths or accident. Enough 

 colts are kept to make down the straw of the farm into ma- 

 nure, and it is the number of colts which allows of such 

 cheap attendance. It is of course perfectly clear that such 

 a course of colt grazing is not practicable to any vast extent 

 by any number of men, but it shows what may be done by 

 those who try ; and I much desire to see fewer old 

 bullock graziers upon the old Sufl'olk system— a larger 

 number of lamb breeders, keepers of well-bred cows, rearers 

 of calves, fatteners of young beasts, and colt fatteners on 

 the stiff retentive soils. Prices will thus equalise them- 

 selves more advantageously, and the heavy-land farmer will 

 greatly benefit himself by "sharing in the profits of his ligl.t 

 land neighbour, who in times of depression finds his sheep 

 stock his preventive to loss— his grand security. I will 

 even go so far as to say we are no longer literally dependent 

 upon the animal for manure. We have our artificial ma- 

 nures ; and I believe a direct loss upon grazing to the 

 amount of the mangold wurtzel root crop consumed, which 

 costs £9 per acre to produce, is not the most paying course. 

 Even such mauure at such a cost is not the cheapest, for al- 

 though bullock manure is lasting, we must reniember thata 

 large proportion of the vegetable matter it contains is given in 

 literally gratis in the shape of straw, which certainly consti- 

 tutes more than one-half of the manure. Try your pure 

 beast manure without the straw, against pure Peruvian 

 guano at equal costs, and I believe the latter the cheaper, 

 judging by results. Not that I recommend such a course, 

 but 1 want to demonstrate that some other system than 

 losing by bullock grazin,? is practicable, and that our beast 

 manure, in Suffolk at least, is bought at too dear a price, 

 especially at the present price of wheat. I know it may be 

 said straw is not manure ; but I would simply remark that 

 when the lease stipulates that a load or two of straw shall 

 be annually supplied to the landlord, we then hear enough, 

 and a little to spare, upon impoverishing the farm and the like 

 by the removal of straw from the occupation of its growth, 

 ('o w farming has within the last few years been discontinued 

 on many farms with stiff retentive soils, but it has been my 

 experience that the average of cows at the present high 

 price of butter and cheese pays a clear profit beyond cost 

 of keep, attendance, and trouble, of £5 per cow. Good food 

 ensures a good quality of milk, and an abundance of it. Of 

 nothing must come nothing, and a spare diet is certain to 

 result in a short flow of poor milk. To me it has appeared 

 most desirable to possess such a quality of cow as will not 

 only prove useful and profitable for her milking properties, 

 but such an one as will also breed a good calf if put to a 

 well-bred bull. This is the description of cow to be met 

 with in the best dairy and calf-rearing districts, and I can 

 see no reasonable cause why such a cow should not be ap- 

 plicable to the eastern counties. I mean nothing of a fancy 

 character, but a well bred, well-shaped animal ; and though 

 it may be objected that the pastures of Suffolk, or Norfolk, 

 or Essex are not sufficiently good, I think if it should lead 

 to tlieir drainage and improvement it would insure a double 

 benefit — a better description of cow, and better pasture 

 farming. l\Iy experience in pig grazing has been, that a 

 sufficient number to consume the waste of the farm are as 

 m my as are desirable. I have found that cart horses are 

 most economically kept in part upon mangold wurtzels. 

 We commenre feeding thera even in October with the best 

 results ; and, at the present time, I can meet with no corn 

 so cheap as wheat, for the horse, in connection therewith. 

 The following is the dietary : — s. d. 



2 bushels or 5 stones of mangold wurtzel, with chaff, 



per day, at 2d. per bushel, 4d. X 7 days .. ..2 4 

 1 bushel of ordinary wheat and grinding giveu with 



chafT 4 6 



i cwt. of clover hay at 4s. per cwt 2 



Total per week 8 10 



Upon such diet the horses work hard, and remain in good 

 condition. Evin with the cart horses 1 am a great advocate 

 for comfort, and much prefer airy, comfortable, well venti- 

 lated loose boXes, to the open yard aod shed system. The 



