358 lieport on the Agriculture of 



worn-out sheep are culled, and any excellent sheep are promoted 

 into the flock above them. 



Meat Manufacture. — Oxen are Avorked up to 13, 14, and even 

 17 years of age, and are then fattened and sold. Sheep are 

 shorn until they are 8, 10, and even 13 years old, and are then 

 turned into inferior mutton. The oxen are essentially workers, 

 and the sheep wool-producers, so that superior beef and mutton 

 can scarcely be looked for under such conditions. 



The cattle are highly esteemed, and are not likely to be 

 supplanted by imported breeds for many years to come. Sheep, 

 on the other hand, are declared to be unprofitable (see last 

 Report), and require to be crossed with English races. 



Although the quality of the animals to be fatted is not usually 

 high, I found great attention was given to the subject of fattening 

 stock, and the utmost precision observed in mixing the foods 

 and apportioning them to the various animals. 



The following instances of what I saw will l)est illustrate the 

 scientific accuracy with which cattle and sheep are fattened on 

 a Hungarian estate. 



At Talos I found 259 sheep put up to feed. In winter they had 

 daily received 5 lbs. of potatoes and mangolds mixed, about 3^ lbs. 

 of hay, and summer and winter straw besides. In March and 

 April this food was continued, with the addition of one pint of 

 oats, and in May one pint of Indian corn was substituted for 

 the oats. After May 20th they had received a pint of Indian 

 corn with clover-hay in the morning and barley- or oat-straw 

 at night. After June 10th they received the same food with 

 the addition of one and a quarter pint of oats. A complete 

 list of the weights of all the sheep during various periods of the 

 fattening process was handed to me. The general result was 

 that the sheep weighed, alive, from 86^ to 150 lbs., or, on an 

 average of 259 head, 105 lbs. each. Of this 105 lbs. one-third 

 is said to be ofFal. These sheep were sold fat at '21s. each. 



Thirty-seven oxen, of from 13 to 17 years of age, were fat and 

 ready lor sale. They had been receiving, per head per day, from 

 the commencement of the fatting period the following foods : — 



In January — 



37 lbs. of mangolds and potatoes in equal proportions, 

 2^ lbs. of rape-cake and chaff, 

 8 pints of tail barley-meal. 



In February the same food was continued. 



In March they received — 



30 lbs. of mangolds and potatoes, 

 2^ lbs. of rape cake and chaff, 

 12 pints of barley-meal. 



