FARMERS' REGISTER— FEEDING NEAT CATTLE. 



459 



found, that an ox will eat something less than one 

 fiith per diem, of his own weight oi' cabbages. 

 Fattening beasts require about eighteen stone ol' 

 common turni|)s daily, besides an adequate allow- 

 ance of dry meat to counteract the superabundant 

 moisture of these roots. An acre of twenty-five 

 tons, therelbre, will fatten a beast of sixty stone, 

 or something more. For middle-sized animals a 

 bushel or a bushel and a half, of distillers' or 

 brewers' grains will be sullicient, if combined with 

 an am})le portion oi cut hay, chad', or bean straw, 

 given between the intervals of allotting the grains, 

 iiullocks varying from Ibrty-five to sixty .stone, 

 consume about eight or ten stone of carrots or 

 parsnijjs per diem, be.side an additional quantity 

 of dry provendr^r; that is in the proportion of one- 

 sixtii part ol" their own weight; and, as a good 

 acre of carrots will yield 400 buslicis, or 22,400 

 lbs. it would support such an ox IGO days?, a period 

 sufficiently long for beasts to be kept that have 

 liad the summer's grass. If they arc hall" fat 

 when put to carrots, an acre would probably be 

 sufficient to fatten two such beasts. Oi' potatoes, 

 small cattle (such as those of Wales and Scot- 

 land) eat every day about one bushel per head, in 

 a raw state, with an allowance of one truss of hay 

 divided between four beasts. To an animal of 

 eighty or one hundred stone, eight to ten pounds 

 of pulverized oil-cake are given each day, with 

 half a stone, or one stone of cut hay, in addition, 

 every day, tor seven or eight weeks, which allot- 

 ment of cake is then usually increased to twelve 

 or filleen pounds, until the animal is sufficiently fat 

 for sale.* 



Although as we have just seen, animals have 

 been Jiot unconmionly sujjposed to consitme a 

 quantity of tbod in proportion to their weight, yet 

 this is purely theoretical; tor, in fiict, various ex- 

 periments have proved that though small cattle 

 nuiy be supported on pastures that will not carry 

 heavy beasts, and also on more indiiferent soiling 

 food, yet, when put up to fitten, the dilFerence is 

 of no account in proportion to their \veight: though 

 cattle of the same weight and breed will some- 

 times consume difl'erent quantities. In proof of 

 this, it may be observed that the London cowkeep- 

 ers, who have large numbers of dili'erent size, 

 supply an eijual quantity to each. 



But whatever articles of food may be given, 

 they ought to be apportioiled with as much regard 

 to regularity nf time and quantity as is practicable: 

 and if any small part be at any time left uncon- 

 sumed, it should be removed beibre the next feed 

 is given, otherwise the beast will loath it. 



In stall-leetling, it is loo common a jjractice to 

 give a certain allowance, every daj^, without re- 

 gard to any circumstance, but it is a fact, that a 

 lattening beast will cat with a ke.'jner appetite on 

 a cold day than in warm, damp weather; hence 

 his food ought to be proportioned accordingly. By 

 giving the same quantity ever\' day, the animal 

 may be cloyed; thus his appetite becomes im- 

 paired, the Ibod is wasted, and several davs will 

 necessarily elapse beibre he can recover it. lience, 

 at least three i>eriods of the, day, as nearly equi- 

 distant as possible, should be selected, when sucb 

 an allowance should be given to each animal as 

 he can eat with a good appetite; which point can 



be regulated best by attending duly to the state of 

 the weather, or season, and tiie progress he makes 

 in flesh, tor as he tlittcns, his ai»pctite will become 

 more delicate, and he will recpaire more liequent 

 feeding, in smaller quantities; thus the beast will 

 improve progressively and miiibrmly, while a tri- 

 fling loss of tbod only can occur bj^ such method. 

 In proportion to the nutritive matter contained in 

 the tbod, the animal will generally be found to ad- 

 vance;* and in order that this important branch of 

 rural economy may be properly conducted, the 

 young grazier will find it serviceable to weigh 

 each beast once a fortnight, at the least, before he 

 gives the morning allowance, by which he will be 

 enabled to tbrni iui accurate estimate of the real 

 progress his cattle make in thriving. If they do 

 not continue to advance, according to the result of 

 former weighings, it will be necessary to change 

 their food; and as bullocks will take less meat every 

 week after their kidneys are covered with fiat, it 

 will be even well to weigh them once a week, as 

 a more adequate idea of their thriving may thus 

 be formed: thus, supposing an ox to consume food 

 to the value of 9d. per day, or 5s. 3d. per v.^eek, 

 and that the price of beef at markets is 4s. 6d. per 

 stone of eight pounds, the return he makes tor his 

 keep may be readily calculated. 



Of equal, if not superior, importance with regu- 

 larity in feeding is cleanliness, a regard to which is 

 admitted, by all intelligent breeders, to be one of 

 the most essential requisites to the prosperity of 

 cattle. Hence not only ought they to be supplied 

 with abundance of pure water, hut also, whenever 

 tliey are bi-ought into the stalls, either from pas- 

 ture or from vv'ork, their feet ougiit to be washed, 

 lest any filth should remain there and soficn their 

 hoofs. Frequent Avashing ai'ier hard labor, or at 

 least once in the week, should be performed; and, 

 though the practice of currying and combing, or of 

 friction with brushes, cannot perhaps be adopted 

 where the beasts are numerous, yet, we conceive, 

 they might be ouen rubbed with a wisp of straw 

 to considerable advantage. The mangers and 

 stalls should likewise be kept as clean as possible; 

 and the former, if they cannot often be washed, 

 should be cleared every morning from dust and 

 filth, which may be easily effected by means of a • 

 common, blunt-pointed bricklayer's trovvcl: they 

 otherwise acquire a sour and oifensive smell from 

 the decay of vegetable matter left in them, which 

 nauseates the cattle, and prevents their feeding. 

 After the stalls have been cleansed by constantly 

 removing the dung and sweeping the pavement, a 

 sulficienfciuantity of fresh litter ought to be strew- 

 ed over, v/hich will invite them to lie down; for 

 nothing contributes more to ex];editc the fattening 

 of cattle than moderate warmth, ease and repose. 

 In fact, vAieKsiraio can be obtained at a moderate 

 price, supposing the farm docs not yield an ade- 

 quate supply lor this purpose, the stalls and farm- 

 yards ought always to be well littered, especially 

 diiring the winter season. 



The -'uantity of manure thus made is an essen- 

 tial object; for it has been found that forty-five ox- 

 en, littered, while fatting, witli twenty wagon- 

 loads of sted>ble, have made tico hundred loads, 

 each three tons, the grentest and most valuable 

 portion of which would h;ive been lost, had it not 

 been mixed with, and absorbed by, the sira.w. 



*See tlie quantities consumed by different cattle, 

 Chap. II., ami Appendix No. I. 



'See Book IX. Chap. VL 



