36 THE CATTLE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



after a day or two without a stand-still period, so common to 

 sudden changes of diet. During the second summer at grass 

 we recommend a mixture of bean meal, oil-cake, or cotton-cake, 

 and barley meal, always given with chaff, the quantity of arti- 

 ficial being increased from 21b. at the spring to 41b. in the 

 autumn ; and it may be as well to pulp a few turnips in August 

 to add to the mixture, and thus more thoroughly accustom the 

 animals to their winter food. For a few days after first coming 

 in, a portion of green food might be given, so that the change 

 should be as gradual as possible. By such means we cannot 

 fail, under careful superintendence, to keep our stock thriving, 

 and by May or June, when our roots are on the wane, we may 

 expect some very pretty ripe beasts, weighing from 90 to 100 

 stones of 81b. dead weight. In the event of a third year being 

 considered advisable, we should winter in yards the second year 

 precisely as during the first, taking care to run them thinly, and 

 feed moderately well. We have used green German rape with 

 good effect in such cases, breaking it up and steaming, or else 

 macerating it in boiling water, and then pouring it over the 

 chaff. The price of this article has considerably risen of late 

 years ; moreover, it is difficult to obtain, and we should consider 

 palm-nut meal as equally cheap and more feeding, on account 

 of its greater richness in fatty matter. This, however, brings 

 us to another part of our subject, viz., the nature and value of 

 different kinds of food. 



The system of feeding horned stock, though more rational 

 than of old, is still in many districts costly and extravagant, 

 and must be amended if we hope to make it a profitable opera- 

 tion ; or, perhaps it would be more correct to say, escape a 

 heavy loss. In former times, the high price of wheat rendered 

 it desirable that rich manure should be made, even though the 

 expense of its manufacture was great ; especially was this the 

 case at a time when the farmer could not, as now, supplement 

 his home-made manure by artificials ; consequently we find that 

 large quantities of costly food were given, the greater part of 

 which remains in the manure. We know that even now, in 

 some cases, as much as 101b. to 141b. of linseed cake are given 

 daily, a third of which only is assimilated. Now, such treat- 

 ment is wasteful and unscientific. We cannot afford to keep 



