308 KEPORT OP THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



at periods of six months that we have seen ; but since that several cases 

 of actual weighings at short periods have been reported, among which 

 the following is the most comj)lete and instructive. It was first pub- 

 lished in the Live-Stock Journal for May, 1873. It is the history of a 

 pair of grade short-horn twins raised by Mr. William Wallace, of Grant 

 Park, Kankakee County, Illinois : 



•'ELLSWORTH TWINS." 



They were dropped April 2, 1870, and called the " Ellsworth Twins." 

 Their food the first summer was sour milk, oil-meal, and grass. This 

 produced as fine a growth as whole milk. They weighed on the 2d of 

 October, at six months, 1,340 pounds. Their growth is shown in the 

 following weighings : 



Ponnda. 



January 3, 1871, they weighed, together 1,550 



February 30, 1871, each weighed 865 pounds ; together 1, 730 



April 2, 1871, oue year old, together 1,960 



July 2, 1871, weighed, together 2,330 



August 24, 1871, each weighed 1,250 pounds ; together 2,500 



October 14, 1871, weighed, together 2,692 



November 25, 1871, weighed, together 2,880 



January 2, 1872, weighed, together 2,950 



.January 3f, 1872, weighed, together 3,062 



February. 15, 1872, weighed, together 3,125 



Februarv 28, 1872, each weighed 1,599 pounds ; together 3, 180 



March 16, 1872, weighed, together ' 3,265 



April 2, 1872, two years old, together 3,305 



April 28, 1872, weighed, together 3,400 



July 1, 1872, weighed, together 3,575 



August 31, 1872, weighed, together 3,650 



October 26, 1872, eac h wei ghed 1 ,950 pounds ; together 3, 900 



December 6, 1872, weighed, together 4, 145 



February 5, 1873, each weighed 2,150 i>ound8 ; together 4,300 



April 1, 1873, three years old, together 4,500 



These steers were fed upon grass, hay, and corn, in the open air, and 

 never stabled. It will be observed that these twins reached a greater 

 weight at two years and three years, with only sour milk and oil-meal 

 the first six months, than the steer Uncle Abe, that had fall rations 

 of whole milk. This is a valuable example, showing that butter-dairy- 

 men may raise excellent calves and get all the profit from the cream. In 

 this case we also see a very steady and comparatively uniform growth, 

 yet a gradual decline in the ratio of gain per day from the beginning. 



The error of exposure to the weather the first winter is very obvious. 

 They gained the first six months (if we suppose them to have weighed 

 180 pounds when dropped) 1,160 pounds, while the second six months 

 (winter) they gained only G20 pounds. Had they been kept warm, they, 

 would, undoubtedly, have gained 200 pounds more. Their gain the first 

 year was 1,780 pounds ; second year, 1,315 pounds,; third year, 1,195 

 pounds, a constant decrease the older they grew. But the reader will 

 note the omission of one most important fact in this case, and that is, 

 the amount of feed given in all the different periods; this would have 

 added greatly to its interest. 



ANOTHER EXAMPLE. 



As teaching by example is more effectual than by precept, another 

 case of rapid growth, occurring the past year, is given. It relates to a 

 grade short-horn calf and its' mate, fed wholly upon skim-milk. The 



