278 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



HUNGERFORD FARMERS' CLUB. 



The following letter waa read by Mr. Franklin at one of the 

 late meetiuga of the Huugerford Farmers' Club, and for which 

 a vote of thanks was recorded to Mr. Coleman : — 



THE WOBURN SYSTEM OF FATTENING CATTLE. 



Wohtrn Park Farm, Jan. lOth, 1861. 



My Dear Sir, — I will now try to answer your questions 

 from what of the subject has come under my own notice, and 

 not from what has been said or written by others. First — 

 " Can cattle be stall-fed to advantage by the occupiers of 

 arable land ?" 



Yes. Where the soil is of a clayey or tenacious texture 

 the fattening of cattle is not only profitable, but absolutely 

 necessary, as I am well assured there is no means of keeping 

 up and increasing the fertility of a farm so advantageous as 

 the feeding of stock. I look upon cattle as manure manufac- 

 turers that do not dip into our pockets quite so deep, nor dis- 

 appoint us in thS quality of the article left behind, so much as 

 many of those who now frequent our markets, and botlier us 

 to purchase the very best manure that was ever offered to the 

 public. 



Where the soil is light — of gravel, chalk, or sandy nature — 

 such as requires treading with eheep, many of our best farmers 

 keep no more cattle than are absolutely necessary to convert 

 the straw into manure, as they can spare but few if any roots 

 off the laud, aud sheep-feeding saves carting turnips to the 

 homestead ; and, in consequeuce of the remunerative prices of 

 mutton and wool, it is not advisable to try to produce beef 

 in lieu of them, where soil, climate, and situation are adapted 

 to sheep farming. But, as I rather opine, that is not the case 

 with many of your friends who occupy land, that, while pro- 

 ducing good root?, sticks to their own feet, and hangs to the 

 shpep too much to allow them to get about with comfort to 

 themselves or profit to their owners. To the occup iers of such 

 soils it is of vital importance that the feeding of cattle should 

 leave sufficient profit to repay the trouble, and not (as iu some 

 instances that have come under my notice) " kick down" what 

 little the other departments of the farm may have realized. 



I do not consider, as many do, the value of the manure to 

 be quite ample to compensate the feeder for roots, hay, and 

 straw consvimed, or time and attention expended ; but I want 

 cattle to pay something more than the coat of the corn or cake 

 consumed by them. But let no man think of buying cattle to 

 feed at a profit if he does not know a good one from the 

 wretches that are exhibited for sale at many of our fairs and 

 markets, and which when purchased, " big for money," only 

 disgust the feeder at the slow progress they make. I would 

 therefore counsel your friends to look more to quality, and re- 

 member that one of the greatest secrets in profitable stall- 

 feeding cattle is to have the right sort of animal to begin with. 

 1 do not hold with those who purchase big old oxen for putting 

 in the j ards or boxes, but have found those the most profitable 

 that will grow and feed at the same time, taking care not to 

 purchase too young, as one extreme is as bad as the other. I 

 have invariably remarked that it is not the man who gives the 

 highest price for store cattle at fairs or markets who gets the 

 best paid, but who, with an eye to quality, never goes far into 

 the " teens." 



The description of animal beat a:3apted for stall-feeding is, 

 I consider, " a well-bred Shorthorn," such as are bred and 



kept in Lincolnshire, in the neighbourhood of Lincoln, Horn- 

 castle, Granthau}, Caistou, aud other places, as they are more 

 fies'>y animals than the Yorkshire Shorthorn, at least than 

 such as find their way from tliose districts into the midland 

 aud eastern counties fairs and markets ; but with the present 

 facilities for travelling, let a farmer go into the districts where 

 cattle are bred, and select for himself, aud he will find ample 

 recomfjence for the trouble occasioned ; and not be ready to 

 purchase any brutes that may be offered to him at home, just 

 to save himself the trouble of going where i;ood oues are to 

 be fouud. I may here mention that having resided nearly all 

 my life in that stall-feeding county, Norfolk, where the rents 

 of very many farms are paid by the rattle they fatten, and 

 being acquainted with nearly all the best managers of stock in 

 the county, 1 have had a little opportunity of judging of the 

 merits of the system there pursued; for the last seven years I 

 have fed from 100 to 200 head of cattle every Winter. 



The Hereford is undeniably one of the most rent-paying 

 of animals for Summer grazins? ; but I have not yet found 

 him quite come up to the Snorthorn for stall-feeding purposes, 

 unless you get some of the very best bred oues, and as the 

 Shorthorn is easiest to procure, I would advise your friends to 

 stick to them. 



The Devons are great favourties with many farmers in con- 

 sequence of the rather superior quality, and from being, when 

 well fatted, much sought after by the metropolitan butchers, 

 but they do not make so much weight with a given quantity 

 of food as Shorthorns. 



" The kind of fool, quantity, and method of preparing it ?" 



Upon this quest on there is, I am aware, great diversity of 

 opinion, some advocating the giving an animal an unlimited 

 supply of roots and hay ; but who, 1 would ask, this season, 

 is in a position to do this ; others give cake or corn ad libitum, 

 with what roots the animal likes to take. Now, I am of 

 opinion both these systems are faulty, and that the great art 

 in fattening profitably is so to apportion the various descrip- 

 tions of food that the animal may be able to extract the 

 greatest amount of fat and flesh-forming properties from them 

 and not feed stock for the sake only of manure, as many do. 



My practice is as follows : The cake or meal is ground as 

 fine as possible, then boiled or steamed (the apparatus uted 

 being erected by Stanley, of Peterborough) for about two 

 hours, at the rate of about Bibs, of meal to 1 gallon of water; 

 this will vary according to the quantity allowed per head for 

 each animal. I have three large cistern;, about 10 ft. long, 

 3 ft. wide, and SJ ft. deep, made with brick and cement, so as 

 to allow none of the moisture to escape ; into these I place a 

 layer of hay, or straw of mixed chaff, about 6 in. iu thickness, 

 aud then, upon the chaff, a layer of cut or mixed roots, in 

 proportion 1 to 3 of chaff, or thereabouts ; upon these roots 

 the boiling cake or meal is then poured, and being then 

 slightly stirred, to be followed by chaff and roots as before, 

 uutil the cistern is quite full. The quantity of the mucilage 

 used is about 1 gallon to a bushel of chaff. The mass is then 

 left 24 hours, during which time fermentation takes place, 

 and the roots are quite cooked. Care should be taken to 

 tread down the chaff as it is put in, as the closer it is packed 

 the better I have found it to ferment. It is astonishing the 

 avidity with which cattle, after the first few days, will devour 

 this mixture, aud it matteis not how bad the hay, if free 



