46 FEEDING STOCK. 



crashing' oats and beans, or any other description of seed. 

 It consisted of two fluted rollers, with simple machinery to 

 drive it; and the price, he thought, was lOZ. The maker of 

 the machine was a Mr. Richmond, of Manchester. Ten pounds 

 was, perhaps, a large sum, but the advantage to be derived 

 from the use of the machine on a farm of any extent would 

 very soon repay the outlay. They had heard a great deal 

 of the advantages of a mixture of food in producing lean, fat, 

 and muscle, and in the same way it was of importance that 

 farmers should vary their crops, so that they might extract 

 from the soil all the substance it contained which went to 

 the composition of food. With regard to the use of linseed, 

 he had to remark that it was a subject to which he had paid 

 considerable attention, and he could assure them that the 

 graziers in England found very great advantages to result 

 from giving it to their cattle; and he was of opinion that 

 nothing would tend to improve the mountainous districts so 

 much as feeding their stock partly upon linseed, and by that 

 means enriching the soil. By convejang linseed into the 

 mountainous districts, they would carry a greater quantity 

 of manure to enrich the country than they could do in any 

 other shape whatever; while they would be feeding their 

 cattle better, and getting a better price for them. 



Professor Johnston then stated that with regard to the 

 use of malted barley, referred to by Mr. Watson, he did not 

 think it would be so advantageous as that gentleman thought. 

 If it was given as a part of the food of cattle, he thought 

 there could be nothing better; but if it was given as the 

 great staple of the food, he did not think it would pay. 

 From the failure of the potato crop, it would be necessary to 

 substitute some other crop to supjily its place in the system 

 of rotation ; and for this piu'pose flax was deserving of their 

 attention. As to the question whether flax was exhausting 

 or not, there was this to be observed, that it was difierent 

 from other crops, in so far as they took away both the 

 straw and the grain ; and to keep the soil fertile, it would be 

 necessary to return in the shape of manure, not only what 

 was taken away b}' the seed, but likewise was taken away 

 by the straw. It was not an exhausting crop, if they took 

 care to manure the soil. 



Agricultural Gazette, Sept. 12, 1846. 



