FEEDING STOCK. 41 



the principle upon wliicli the use of mixed food was founded 

 — to g'ive all the substances the animal required, and to g'ive 

 them at the cheapest rate ; and the researches of the scien- 

 tific man were directed to discovering' the means hy which 

 these objects could be best accomplished. He had selected 

 oil-seeds ; but he mig-ht have taken potatoes or tiu-nips for 

 his illustration. He had taken the oil-seeds, however, be- 

 cause very g-reat attention had been recently directed to the 

 value of those seeds in the feeding- of stock, and to the cul- 

 ture of flax, which they knew was advancing- with g-reat 

 rapidity in the neig-hbouring- country of Ireland, and which 

 was even progressing- in Eng-land at a g-reat rate. He mig-ht 

 mention a remarkable fact connected with the improvement 

 of the flax cultivation in Ireland, that a society which was 

 established for the encourag-ement of that cultivation, and 

 Avhich had its seat in Belfast, had an annual revenue of be- 

 tween 2000/. and 3000/. ; while the income of the Royal 

 Ag-ricultural Association of Ireland was less than one-half 

 of that sum. From the prog-ress the cultivation of flax 

 was making- in Ireland, it was very deserving- of attention 

 hy those who thoug-ht a chang-e in the rotation of the crops 

 would be useful in other parts of the country. The person 

 who had most directed his attention, practically, to the 

 efiects of feeding- stock with mixed food, and to feeding- on 

 linseed, was Mr. Warnes, of Triming-ham, Norfolk, and he 

 (Professor J.) would point out to them the principles on 

 which he proceeded; and they were sound scientific ])rin- 

 ciples. He commenced by boiling- the linseed in water until 

 it formed a kind of jelly ; then he stirred in a certain quan- 

 tity of cut straw and chaft', and crushed corn. The mixture 

 was then poured into moulds, and afterwards served to the 

 cattle warm, which they liked remarkably well. With this 

 food the cattle throve, and acquired beef in an extraordinary 

 manner. By this system of feeding-, Mr. Warnes said he 

 could compete with any man, whether foreig-n or not, as he 

 could send cattle to Smithfield at 4:^d. per lb. and pay him 

 an ample return j and, in illustration of this, he gives the 

 results of two experiments, which he would read to the 

 meeting-, and which were as follows : — 



" Since he followed out box-feeding-, he knew not a sing-le 

 instance where he had not realized 8/. for every head of 

 cattle he had kept for six montlis. At the farm where he 

 now resided, he had reared for market the following- cattle, 

 after onlv six months' box-feeding- : — 



