218 FARMING FOR LADIES. [chap. ix. 



and of its being " a disgrace to our enlightened 

 times ! " we confess that we can see nothing in 

 it that more justly merits those reproaches than 

 many of the modes in common use for fattening 

 other animals. Oxen are stall-fed in heated 

 stables, although, if left to nature, they would, 

 never enter the shelter of a roof London and 

 most of our great towns are entirely supplied 

 with milk from cows which are confined all 

 the year round ; their calves are taken from 

 them when less than a week old, then fattened 

 in darkened pens, and bled occasionally by 

 the butcher to make their flesh white. 



It is somewhat amusing to see in Martin 

 Doyle's ' Practical Husbandry,' the act called 

 " criminal in the eye of humanity ; and 

 persons guilty of knowingly consuming cram- 

 med fowls, accomplices after the fact I " For 

 although we have not the honour of per- 

 sonal acquaintance with that gentleman, we 

 yet know him to be a person moving in good 

 society, and therefore, we doubt not, often 

 guilty of the fact. We can, indeed, ourself 

 vouch for its not rendering the flesh "unwhole- 

 some," as we have made many a hearty meal 

 off" crammed fowl and turkey without finding 



