262 



FARMERS' REGISTER— RAW OR PREPARED FOOD FOR CATTLE. 



Estimate of Profit and Loss. 



Value of stotNo. 9. Col. 1. Table I. 20th February: 

 Live-weight 90 slones, divided by L7£», as a factor, gives 51 stones 6 lbs. of beef, at 5s. 6d. 



per stone, sinking the offal, 

 Cost of keep as in Table III, 



Total cost, 

 Value when killed 58 stones 6 lbs. of beef, as per Table I. Col. 10. 

 at 6s. 6d. per stone, sinking the offal, 



Profit on stot No. 9. on raw food, £0 10 10 



In the foregoing estimate of value, we have 

 stated the beef in the lean state, at 5s. 6d. per 

 stone at the beginning of the experiment, and 6s. 

 6d. per stone when killed, which, we trust, will b - 

 thought a moderate rate of improvement in the 

 value of the beef when fattened. 



From the intimation contained in the foregoing 

 Tables, &c., every person will be able tojudge for 

 himself of the comparative cost of keep and im- 

 provement. 



It will be seen from Table II, that the three hei- 

 fers on steamed food cost on the article of keep 

 £ 1 2 li per week, while the three on raw food, 

 cost only 16s. 3d., a difference of only 5s. lO^d. 

 per week less expense being on the raw food, be- 

 ing 5Jd. more than equal to the expense of keep 

 of another beast on raw food. 



And referring to Table I, Cols. 10. and 11, it 

 will there be seen that the three on steamed food 

 had only 1 stone 11 lbs. more beef, while the three 

 on raw food had the advantage in point of tallow, 

 by 1 stone 7 lbs., so nearly equal in this respect 

 that there cannot be said to have been any difffer- 

 ence at all; and by referring to the stots in the 

 same manner in the same tables, the advantage 

 will be found to be in tavor of the raw food. 

 Therefore, we have no hesitation in saying, that 

 in every respect the advantage is in favor of feed- 

 ing with raw food. But it'is worthy of remark, 

 that the diflference in the consumption of food 

 arises on the turnips alone. We would therefore 

 recommend any person wishing to feed cattle on 

 steamed food, to use potatoes, or any other food 

 which would not lose bulk and weight in the 

 steaming process, as there is no question but in 

 doing so they would be brought much nearer to 

 each other in the article of expense of keep. But 

 from the experiment made by us, as will be seen 

 by the foregoing estimate of profit and loss, thf 

 profit is greatly in favor of feeding with raw food. 

 Upon the whole, we freely give it as our opinion, 

 that steaming food for cattle will never be attend- 

 ed with beneficial result under any circumstances 

 whatever, because it requires a more watchful and 



vigilant superintend ance during the whole process 

 than can ever be delegated to the common run of 

 servants, to bring the cattle on steamed food even 

 upon a footing of equality, far less a superiority, to 

 those fed on raw food. 



The only thing which it remains for us to state 

 is, the periods when the cattle were killed, and 

 how they were fed from the 20th May until sent 

 oft'. The heifers were turned out to a very fine 

 field of grass, of the first season, on the 22d May, 

 where they remained three days, and were then 

 sent away to be slaughtered. They were exhi- 

 bited at a local Agricultural Show on the 25th May 

 on their road, when the judges thought them fit 

 cattle for the experiment; but none of the gentle- 

 men present were able to distinguish which lot 

 had been fed on steamed food, or which on raw: 

 they were killed on the 28th of May. 



Only two of the stots were killed, that was No. 

 7. of the steamed food, and No. 9. of the raw 

 food; the other two. No. 8. and No. 10. were kept 

 on. A statement of their after management and 

 improvement will now be given. The whole four 

 stots were turned out to the foresaid young grass- 

 field on the 25th May, after the heifers went away, 

 the two which were killed on the 12th, and 

 weighed, as per col. 9, Table I, on the morning 

 before being sent away. The other two which 

 were kept on, were not weighed until the 20th of 

 the month, being the usual day from last weigh- 

 ing. 



They remained in the grass-field, which was 

 good land and very fine pasture, until the 12th of 

 August, when they were brought into the court- 

 yard, and were fed on second crop cut clover- 

 grass, what they could eat, with the old allowance 

 of 4^ lbs. of bruised beans per day each. 



On the 4th October current, they began to get, 

 in addition to the cut grass and beans, a few com- 

 mon white globe turnips. 



The following Table will exhibit their live- 

 weight, with thelmproveraentor loss of weight at 

 the end of every month. 



