THE FARMER8' REGISTER 



Vol,. II. 



JANUARY, 1835. 



No. 8. 



EDMUND RUFFIN, KDITOR AND PROPRIETOR. 



Extracts from the last edition (1833) of the "Complete Grazier.' 



ON THE BREEDING, REARING, FATTENING, 

 AND GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF NEAT CAT- 

 TLE. 



[Concluded from page 393 Vol. II.] 

 j^rtificial fucd for neat cattle. 



Having thus stated the various vegetable pro- 

 ducfions which hav^e been boneficially employed in 

 feeding and fattening neat cattle, we proceed to 

 detail a i'cw hints respecdng other articles which 

 are, or may be, likewise emjiioyed with advantage. 

 For this purpose, linsecd-oil calces have long been 

 celebrated as eminently useful; they are asserted 

 to have a very e.xtraoidinary etiect on cows before 

 calving, causing their milk to spring more copious- 

 ly, and preparing the aoimals lor the critical pe- 

 riod of calving. But, as the price of the cake 

 has of late years greatly increased, it has been re- 

 commended to substitute linseed jelly, as being in- 

 finitely superior; and when mixed with a due pro- 

 portion of hay or meal, alVording an excellent 

 composition for stall-leeding and fattening. It is 

 prepared in the following manner: — 



To seven parts of water let one part of linseed 

 be put, for forty-eight hours; then boil it slowly for 

 two hours, gently stirring the whole lest it should 

 bum. Afterwards cool it in tubs, and mix it with 

 meal, bran, or cut chaff, in the proportion of one 

 bushel of hay to the jelly produced by one quart of 

 lins::;ed, well mashed together. 



This quantity given dai!\% with other food, will 

 forward cattle rai)idly; but it must be increased 

 when they are intended to be completely liittened. 



In America, experiments have been tried with 

 linseed oil mixed with the meal of Indian corn'. 

 The stall-led steer, to which the composition was 

 given, was observed to thrive rapidly, and to sweat 

 most profusely; but through inattention, too large 

 a proportion of oil was given at one time with the 

 food, which disgusted the beast, and occasigned 

 the experiment to be discontinued. It has also 

 been tried in this country, in the proportion of one 



answer the purpose, but the cost will generally be 

 found an objection. 



Cattle, led on sour food, prepared by /enneM/mg 

 rye flour and water into a kind of paste, and then 

 iliiuted with water, and thickened with hay cut 

 sm;i!l, are also saitl to fatten rjuickly. This prac- 

 tice chiefly prevails in France, whence it Vv-as in- 

 troduced into this country. Concerning rhe effica- 

 cy of acid food in fattening animals, there is much 

 diflerence of opinion. It is well known, that hogs 

 derive more benefit from sour milk and swill than 

 when those articles are in a fresh state; and it is 

 highly probable, that sour articles ma}' contribute 

 to promote digestion, and by tacilitating the con- 

 sumption of a large quantity of food in a stated 

 period, consequently expedite the fattening of cat- 

 tle. Brewer s grains are sometimes used in that 

 state; but distiller^s grains difiier from them in 

 having a propordon of rye irequently mixed with 

 the malt, which renders them more naturally sour. 

 But such acid messes can only, we conceive, be 

 considered as prejiaratory to the more forcing and 

 essential aritcles of dry food: Avithout whiclr it is 

 scagpely possible that any steer, or bullock, ean 

 acquire that firmness of muscle and fat which is so 

 deservedly admired, and considered as the criterion 

 of excellence. 



The wash, or refuse of malt, remaining after 

 distillation, which was formerl}' applied exclusively 

 to the feeding of swine, has of late j^ars been 

 applied with success to the stall-feeding of cattle. 

 it is conveyed fironi the distillery in large carts, 

 closely covered, and well jointed, in order' to pre- 

 vent leaking. The liquor is then discharged into 

 vats, or other vessels, and when these are about 

 two-thirds filled, a quantity of sweet haj-, previous- 

 ly cut small, is immersed for tu-o or three days, 

 that the wa^h may imbibe the flavor of the hay 

 before it is used, "in fhis state it is carried to the 

 stalls, and poured into troughs, whence it is in gen- 

 eral eagerly eaten by cattle. Sometimes, how- 

 ever, the beasts are at first averse to this mixture, 

 in which case it has been recommended fi'eq»«ently 



also been mixed wdth wheat branrb"i7t"heexperi-h'-*"'V-''''^ ""^ '"rP^^' greatly relish it, and are 

 ment did not answer; an.], unless given in extreme- ' ^'^^'i' ^" *^L'^" speedily. 



ly moderate quantities, it probably would be found 

 to be too stimulating in its effects. There can, 

 however, be no doubt, but that linseed or flax-seed 

 jelly is more agreeable to cattle than cake, while 

 it renders them less liable to surfeit in case an extra 

 quantity should be accidentally given, and is less 

 liable to afii^ct the meat with peculiar taste than 

 either oil or cake, and consequently it merits a trial. I 



One of the most successful instances of this 

 mode of fattening catde, which has occurred with- 

 in our observation, is that of Messrs. Hodoson 

 and Co. the proprietors of Bolingbroke-housc dis- 

 tillery, Battersea, near London.* Between Octo- 

 ber and Aj)ril, which is their regular working sea- 

 son in the distillery, the}' fi^tten as newr as may be 

 dOO; having generally about 350 in the hou.se tied 

 It has been recommended" to chanoe this food^'P'^^ one time, and about 100 in an adjoining 

 about a month before the beast is killed, to prevent, I ^'"'^^.^^^^ '''^"'^] f'e afterwards taken in, o replace 

 if possible, the flesh from rettuning the flavor of,f."^'\f ^^'^ ^,f ^ °f " .They have no s ated period 

 the 0,1 cake, or jellv; but the established principle °'',^^"f"'"g^^'^',?i""«'^^^' being regulated entire- 

 of foeding requires that the food of the most fat- ! ^^ ^y ^h"^, ^l^V^ ^^e markets; but fronri ten to six- 

 tening qtmlitv should be given last, and it would be i een weeks is about the usual time, and the cattle arc 

 difficult to substitute anv of a more nutritive na-l'°""^.^° S^}'}^ "P°" ^" average, the very unusual 

 lure than this: corn, or •bean-meal, indeed, might q"^"^^^-^' °^ ^'""^ ^'^''^^ ^'^ ^""'' "^'^"^ per week . 

 Vol. II. — 35 *Malcolm's Compendium, Vol. I. p. 335. 



