FATTENING CATTLE. AIR CHURN. 



197 



useful information; and when they had prac- 

 tical men for their leaders, it was their own 

 faalt if they did not benefit by them. He bore 

 testimony to some of tlie principles laid down 

 by the previous speakers, and said he should 

 feel pleasure in presiding at their meetings. 

 Again thanking them for tlie honor they had 

 done him. he resumed his seat amidst applause. 

 Mr. Bernays again rose, and said — In order 

 to obtain a fair proportion of fat and lean, it is 

 of the utmost iajportance that you should be ac- 

 quainted with the composition of food. We 

 should be very much mistaken were we to 

 judge of the value of food by its bulk. Green- 

 top turnips, mangel-wurzel, and red beet, con- 

 tain 89 per cent, of water ; Swedes, 95 per cent. ; 

 potatoes, 72 per cent.: oats and wheat straw. 13 

 per cent. : hay, peas, and lentils, 16 per cent. ; 

 and beans only 14 per cent Hence the latter 

 food is intiuitely superior, as to its feeding prop- 

 erties, to the former. But vre have only 

 spoken of the food in relation to water": it i.s 

 necessaiy tliat we should understand each other 

 when we make use of certain terms. It is but 

 too indefinite if we include fleshening and fat- 

 I tening in the lerm fail-ening .- the term rearing 

 . would then be more appropriate. But it would 

 I be still better if we distinguish between fiesh- 

 ) rning, or the formation of muscle. ^nA fatUniiig, 

 \ or the formation of fat. According to the quan- 

 > tity of nonnitrogenized constituents q^" food ca- 

 I pable of forming fat, in otlier words, according 

 » to the supposed fattening properties of food, 

 ' they rank tlius : — 1. Oats, barley meal, and hay ; 

 ' 2. Beans .and peas: 3. Lentils: 4. Potatoes: 5. 

 ' Turnips and red beet. According to their llesh- 

 ' ening properties, they stand thus: — 1. Lentils; 

 2. Beans; 3. Peas; 4. Flesh: .5. Barley meal : 

 6. Oats : 7. Hay : ?. Carrots and potatoes ; 9. 

 Red beet ; 10. Turnips : 100 lbs. of lentils are 

 supposed to be capable of yielding 33 times as I 

 much muscle as 100 lbs. of turnips. Great ad- 

 vantage, therefore, results from the admixture 

 of food. An animal which has been fed chiefly 

 on oil-cake, v^-ould. on being turned out. in- 

 crease in size much more slowly than the ani- 

 mal which has been fed on hay, or on turnips 

 and hay. The oil-cake produces chiefly fat. 

 and little flesh ; hence the movement of the ani- 

 mal will consume much of tlie ready tbrmed fat. 

 or tallow. It is only when the oil-cake is given 

 with fleshening food — such as beans, oati», 

 and hay — that lean is proportionally formed. 

 Warmth, confinement, and fattening food are 

 most favorable for the formation of butter, fat. 

 and tallow. Herbage — which is generally de- 

 nominated poor, but which, in reality, is rich in 

 nitrogenized constituents, and which cows have 

 to crop themselves — is favorable to the forma- 

 tion of cheese, but not of butter. 



Mr. Stokes — Would you recommend the 

 food to be given in a warm state ? 



Mr. Beum.^ts — Decidedly ; a little la^ver than 

 the temperature of their own bodies. 



Mr. Stokes proposed " The health of Mr. Bur- 

 rows, and the Stewards." 



Mr. B. returned thanks, and said he had been 

 much pleased with the discussion that after- 

 noon. He was sorry that more practical men 

 had not risen to take part in it. He had found 

 by experience that catUe kept drj- and warm 

 consumed less, and fattened belter. 



Mr. He s SOS rose and asked what mixture of 

 food Mr. Bernays would recommend. He was 

 at a loss to know how to put these difiereut ele- 

 ments together. He hoped to hear at some fii- 

 (809) 



ture discu.asinn bow to produce die largest 

 amount of fat. without losing sight of the manure 

 heap. He proposed the health of " Rev. E. 

 Wilson:" who rose and returned thanks, and 

 expressed his gratification -with the discussion. 

 He always found instruction at their meetings. 



Mr. Stokes suggested that tables of the quan- 

 tity and quality of food reconunended, should 

 be drawn out and some of die members re- 

 quested to keep an ox or two, and give the re- 

 sult of their experiments for the benefit of others. 



Mr. He.sso.v made another observation or two 

 relative to the quantities of food and the manure 

 heap, and 



Mr. Bers.vTS rose and said — I can onlj- say. in 

 answer to Mr. Henson, that I shall be happy to 

 answer his questions as to the necessaiy- quan- 

 tities of food for producing flesh and fat, on some 

 future occasion. 



Mr. E.\Toy said they had much science and a 

 little practice. Hs would propose •' The health 

 of Mr. Walker," who would be able to give 

 them a good deal of practical information (cheere). 



Mr. W ALKERsaid he had hoped to have taken 

 his own pleasure on that occasion. He was al- 

 most afraid to venture an observation where 

 there had been so much science. He felt in- 

 clined to walk away and largely benefit. As a 

 practical man. he intended to make use of what 

 part ^vould suit him. The manure heap had 

 been referred to. and he would observe, it was 

 verj^ well to have the whistie if they did not pay 

 too dear for it- He would not recommend giv- 

 ing oil-cake to store catde. They ought to be 

 exceedingly careful how they gave oU-cake in 

 the straw yard. Vegetables were d'^e proper 

 food for animals. He gave t%\o pounds of oU- 

 cake a day. and hay. to some cattle, and tiiey 

 did not do well : they were feverish ; there ■was 

 no swelling of the muscle, no lifting of die lean 

 meat. He gave them turnips, and. there was 

 immediately an improvement. 



Mr. S.MITH made a few observations on the 

 importance of attention to die temperature of 

 the atmosphere to which catde were exposed ; 

 and. 



On morion of Mr. Henson. seconded by Mr. 

 Stokes, it was resolved — '• That this meeting en- 

 tirely agrees widi die science of nutrition now 

 propounded, and recommends the practical 

 farmer to test his theory by his experience." 



Thanks were voted to the Chairman, and ap- 

 propriately acknowledged ; and the meeting, 

 which occupied upward of four hoars, separated. 



Air Churn. — The Bishop of Deny has in- 

 vented an atmospheric chum. Instead of die 

 present unscientific mode of making butter by 

 churning, his Lordship accomolishes this meas- 

 ure by the singular manner of forcing a full cur- 

 rent of atmospheric air thniugh the cream, by 

 means of an exceedingly well devised forcing- 

 pump. The air passes through a glas« tube con- 

 nected with the air-pump, dcscendin;; nearly to 

 the bottom of the chum. The cliurn is of tin, 

 and it fits into another tin cylinder provided 

 with a funnel and stop-cock, so as to heat the 

 cream to die necessary- temperature. The pump 

 is worked by means of a winch, which is not so 

 laborious as the usual chum. Indopendendv of 

 the happy application of Science to this import- 

 ant department of domestic economy, ia a prac- 

 tical p<)int of view it is extremely valuable. The 

 milk is not moved by a dasher, as in the com- 



