82 BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 



wagon-load. I would carry as much as two horses could draw 

 to twenty cows ; and I found no ill effects, and heard no com- 

 plaint. My wife considers herself rather particular about milk ; 

 I did not say anything about it, nor did she ; and none of the 

 customers made any complaint. I fed a great many tons that 

 autumn — as much as two tons a day right along — to my cows, 

 and they grew fat and gave great quantities of milk. Since 

 then, I have raised cabbages every year for the express purpose 

 of giving them to the cows. They seem to begin to gain flesh 

 the moment they began to eat the cabbages. 



I have fed turnips without discovering any ill effect ; but 

 when my cows have fed on turnip-tops as they pleased, then I 

 have tasted the turnips in the milk. But where turnips have 

 been fed moderately, in tlie morning, after milking, I have 

 never heard any complaint whatever. 



I was very glad to hear the discussion in regard to cotton- 

 seed meal. I was questioning whether I should buy some for 

 the purpose of feeding my calves. I raise a great many calves 

 every year, and have been in the habit of feeding them oil 

 meal — at first putting a little of the oil meal into the milk, and 

 after awhile withdrawing the milk, and feeding them entirely 

 on oil meal. Calves grow and thrive exceedingly well on oil 

 meal. I have noticed that there is a difference of about flO a 

 ton between oil meal and cotton-seed meal. 



Now, in relation to steamed food affecting the quality of the 

 milk. I have never heard of such an objection to milk pro- 

 duced by feeding steamed food ; and I do not believe there is any 

 such objection. For ten or eleven years, I have fed my cattle 

 with steamed food, giving them very little dry hay, and I believe 

 the milk is better, and the cattle are certainly better. They 

 look better ; they do not consume so much, and what they do 

 eat is more thoroughly digested ; less passes through them 

 undigested. I have often seen statements against it by scientific 

 men. My experience satisfies me that there is a great economy 

 in it, and I am very happy to learn from Prof. Agassiz, that it 

 is not antagonistic to science. I shall continue to practise that 

 method of feeding until I see that it is injurious. 



Mr. Meriam. There seems to be a difference of opinion 

 here, among practical gentlemen, with regard to the effect of 

 feeding cabbage and turnips to cattle, some declaring cabbage 



