Management of Cattle. 51 



40 cattle were so kept during the summer of 1864. In speaking 

 of the general treatment of the stock we have mentioned the 

 aftermath, but in 1864, in consequence of the drought, it never 

 became fit to carry stock, and in consequence of a general short- 

 ness of turnips the sale took place a month sooner than usual.* 



The Pulping of Turnips. 



We introduced the pulper in the autumn of the year 1863-4. 

 For the first season we only fed a part of our number of cattle 

 with pulped turnips and cut chaff, to test the value of the system 

 as against the usual plan of feeding with sliced roots. The 

 result showed, firstly, a decided economy from the use of the 

 pulped food ; and secondly, that the cattle so fed were, if not 

 better, at least equal in quality to those fed on the old plan. 

 From actual experiment, we find that by giving each beast 

 10 lbs. of cut straw mixed with pulped roots there is a 

 saving of 21 lbs. of turnips per day on each animal. Two lots 

 of 8 each were set apart for the experiment. Those on sliced 

 roots consumed on the average 8 imperial stones per day, with 

 8 lbs. each of oat-straw out of the racks uncut. They had what 

 they would eat of both. The other lot had a mixture of cut 

 straw and pulped turnips, what they would eat, with oat-straw 

 uncut ab libitum, and consumed on the average 6-| stones of 

 pulped roots and 10 lbs. of cut straw, with 4.h lbs. of long straw 

 per day each beast. We now pulp for 63 cattle, and, estimating 

 the saving of roots at li stone each per day, we save above 

 4 tons 2 cwt. per week on the average, and above 106 tons during 

 the half-year, equivalent to 3^ acres at 30 tons per acre. 



We have substituted horse for hand power in the working of 

 the pulper, and fitted up an outhouse convenient for the supply 

 of the yards and feeding-boxes. The cost of erecting horse-gin 

 and fittings, with the machine itself, was about 20/. The expenses 

 for attendance on the above cattle are, charging for the horse 2^ 

 hours per day (the time occupied in pulping) and the partial 

 services of one woman extra, 10s. per week more than when 

 they were fed with sliced roots in the usual way. 



Perhaps some might effect, by a larger admixture of straw 

 with the pulped turnips, a far greater saving than that stated, 

 without bias, as the result of our experience, and with which 

 we are satisfied. Those who object to so considerable an ad- 

 mixture of straw should bear in mind that the stomach of the 



* The labour for soiling tlie cattle on the Italian rye-grass, must be equal to 

 30s, per acre ; and we think it is not desirable or profitable, as a rule, to keep 12 

 beasts on 18 acres of land for nearly six months without any change of pasture, 

 though such management much facilitated a comparative experiment. — R. M. 



E 2 



