OF FARM CATTLE. 131 



the fattening animal in several folds of woollen cloth, 

 so as to deprive him, in a great degree, of the pow- 

 er of hearing, and altogether of that of seeing. The 

 doors of his stable are opened but once a day, to 

 change his litter, and his food and drink are given 

 through loopholes opening into his manger, which 

 are afterward immediately closed. With respect 

 to feeding, the first rule is to give little at a time 

 and often ; because experience has shown that ani- 

 mals that eat much in a short time do not fatten so 

 well as those which eat less at a time, and more 

 slowly and frequently. The second rule is to begin 

 the course with cabbages and turnips ; then to em- 

 ploy carrots and potatoes ; and, lastly, Indian, oat, 

 or barley meal, the marsh bean, or the gray pea. 

 These aliments ought to be varied five or six times 

 a day, and oftener if convenient ; and, instead of 

 always reducing them into flour, there is an advan- 

 tage in sometimes boiling them. A little salt, given 

 daily, is very useful, and for drink clean water, but 

 neither frequently nor in great quantity. Warm 

 water, by its temperature, most favours ^ digestion, 

 but, if long continued, will enfeeble the stomach. It 

 ought, therefore, to be employed only towards the 

 end of the term. The fattening is complete when 

 the superficial inequalities of the animal, whether 

 muscular or bony, are filled up ; when his body pre- 

 sents only a round and smooth surface ; when he 

 becomes drowsy and inert, dislikes motion, and 

 is apparently insensible to everything about him. 

 These are the signals for death, and the sooner you 

 inflict it after their appearance the better; for, 

 should the feeding be farther urged, you run the 

 risk of inducing the disease called the melting of the 

 grease, or, in more scientific language, the reabsorp- 

 tion of it by the blood, which is always fatal. 



They who are at all acquainted with the subject 

 on which we write, need hardly be told that there 

 are many circumstances independent of food, clean- 



