44 FEEDING STOCK. 



of liis land ; he being enabled; b}' the use of the linseed, to 

 return more than he took out of it. The proportion of the 

 food had other important consequences in regard to manur- 

 ing the soil. Tlie crushing of the grain and seeds, by reduc- 

 ing them to the minutest particles, made the substances of 

 Avhich they were composed more easily assimilated as the 

 food of plants, and made it better manure, because of the 

 extreme division which it had undergone. Now, they would 

 observe that, by having this large additional amount of 

 manure, they would get larger crops, and introduce a system 

 which would go on anually increasing the amount of their 

 produce, and consecjuently the amount of their profits. 



Mr. Grey, of Dilston, agreed very much with what was 

 said by Professor Johnston, more particularly in reference to 

 the great improvement in manure by the use of })repared 

 food. He had seen instances where an acre of turnips was 

 worth other three acres difterently manured. It was well 

 known that, in Surrey, farmers could be found who would 

 give their fields to be consumed by sheep for nothing, if the 

 parties became bound to supply them with a certain quantity 

 of oil-cake and hay. He knew a place in Croydon himseltj 

 where, on condition that a large (juantity of that kind of 

 food was given to the sheep, that the turnips were allowed 

 to be consumed on the field without charge. This showed 

 the extraordinary eifect which it was believed manure pro- 

 duced from that kind of food had in raising crops, more 

 particularly as in the case to which he referred, on that 

 description of land which required to be trodden out to make 

 it produce good crops. 



Mr. Watson, of Keilor, said there was one article of food 

 much talked of in Scotland, which he thought was deserving 

 of attention. The article he referred to was malt; and he 

 thought if they were allowed to convert their light barleys 

 into that form, it would be one of the very greatest improve- 

 ments, and a most economical food for their cattle. He 

 spoke partly from experience on this subject. Some years 

 ago, a late field of barley of his began to malt before he 

 could get it thrashed, and he continued the malting process, 

 and afterwards gave the grain, in a state of malt, to his 

 stock, with more profit than he ever derived from cattle 

 before. He would like Professor Johnston, therefore, to 

 turn his attention to that subject, as he (Mr. W.) was of 

 opinion, that permission to use malt for food to cattle would 

 be of great value to farmers in this part of the country. 



