On the Uses of Sugar for fattening Cattli. 291 



might be used with advantage. Whenever an excise officer 

 shall witness the compltte solution of sugar in sea-water, I 

 apprehend the duty on sugar may be remitted, without any 

 danger of that sugar ever beins taken for any purpose 

 of cununon consumption : 30 lbs. of sea-water contain on 

 an average one pound of common salt j and would take up 

 near 30 lbs. of sugar. 



" On tliis subject I have consulted some farmers of great 

 intelligence and experience, who are of the class of improved 

 breeders, and feed both sheep and cattle on an extensive 

 scale. These gentlemen entered cordially into my views, 

 and communicated to me the followine; particulars. They 

 say that v.'ith ?,wy^r salt may be used in the proportion of 

 one-sixth with advantage ; but that for the purpose of se- 

 curing the revenue, the mixture might be one part salt, one 

 part train oil, and ten parts of sucar. from my own ex- 

 periments, I am persuaded, that less than five per cent, of 

 train oil would effectually prevent suo-ar from ever being 

 used for domestic purposes. These gentlemen are of opi- 

 nion, that the salt causes a quick circulation of the fluids, 

 and that chalk, which has long been given with salt to 

 calves, acts upon this prmciple. The salt induces the calf 

 to lick up the chalk, but the improvement in the colour of 

 the flesh may be owing to the salt impelling the fluids, which 

 otherwise, from a calf's confinement, would be stagnant. 



" T next tried saltpetre with suuar, and made several ex- 

 periments with it ; hut it appeared to me that ihe quantity 

 necessary tt) alter the flavour of the sugar sufficiently, would 

 be too dear for the use of the farmer. 



*' I then tried assafoetida; 112 grains of su<rar were mix- 

 ed with a quarter of a grain of this u.nui in solution. This 

 rendered tlie tnixlure so strong in flavour and s-jicll as to 

 make it unlit ior any common purpose ; but whether this 

 offensive property could be sufficicntlv disguised for cattle 

 by the mixture of other food can only be known bv trial. It 

 would cost about 4d. per cwt. only to treat sugar thus with 

 assafcetida. 



*' Many other experiments were made ; but as their re- 

 sulls did not seem to bear so much on the question as I e\- 



1' 2 pectej 



