f 200 J 
On Soiling Cattle : mixed cultivation of Corn and Pota- 
toes. By John Lorain. 
Read July 10th, 1810. 
Tackoney, 2\st May 1810. 
Sir, 
I received yours of the 14th instant, and consider 
myself highly honoured by your board, but am obliged 
to decline an attendance on your meetings, as my family 
who are very lonely situated, would not feel easy were I 
absent at night. 
I regret exceedingly that my peculiar situation, pre- 
vents an intercourse with gentlemen who have added 
reading, reflection, and experiment to long practical in- 
formation. Books and the practice of common farmers 
have heretofore been my only resource, the latter are 
too generally in hostility, with every thing that increases 
labour or expence, and it is extremely difficult to glean 
what will best suit the soil and climate of my farm, frona 
the former. 
I shall go on to make the most attentive use of such 
information as I can obtain, and should any thing wor- 
thy of record occur in my practice, it shall be com- 
municated to you. 
I am now trying to fat 27 young healthy steers, rising 
up from about five to cight or nine hundred pounds, 
also seven three year old runts and a cow, by soiling 
them in yards where they have shelter from sun and rain, 
and good spring water at will: fresh grass is also given 
them twice a day under my own inspection. For two 
