354 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 6. 



peas was added an ounce of sugar for each. 

 When they were familiarized to this, the next ob- 

 ject of Dr. Carlwright was to try what different 

 substances might be given in addition to the su- 

 gar, which would not be injurious to them, and 

 which they would neither reject, nor which at the 

 same time would spoil the sugar lor all other pur- 

 poses; and he thought it better to try the experi- 

 ment with the different substances, while the 

 sheep had access to the grass field, rather than 

 wait till they were kept upon artificial food alto- 

 gether. 



The substances used for this purpose were, lin- 

 seed-oil, train-oil, palm-oil, oil of hartshorn, assa- 

 foetida, urine, antimony, and charcoal; most of 

 them preventing the sugar from being used in dis- 

 tillation, and all of them spoiling it for common 

 purposes. Linseed-oil was first tried, in the pro- 

 portion of one to thirty-two parts of sugar. This 

 mixture was given for the first time on the 7th of 

 September, and was put into one only of the 

 three troughs out of which they fed; the sheep, 

 however, ate indiscriminately, ami apparently 

 with the same appetite, the mixture which con- 

 tained the linseed-oil, as those which had the su- 

 gar only: on the following day the quantity of oil 

 was doubled, and the sheep continued to leed up- 

 on it with the same appetite. After this, train-oil 

 was given in the same proportions, and with the 

 same success; and it was supposed, from the par- 

 ticular avidity with which they devoured this 

 mess, that the train-oil, so i'ar from rendering the 

 sugar less palatable to them, irave it a more agree- 

 able zest and poignancy. The next experiment 

 was with assafcetida, in the proportion of one to 

 four hundred and forty-eight parts ot surrar: part 

 of the sheep began upon this mixture immediate- 

 ly, but others hesitated, and when they did feed, 

 it was somewhat fastidiously, and the troughs 

 were not emptied quite so clean as before. This 

 experiment was suspended at that time, and a 

 trial made of a mixture of sugar with urine, in the 

 proportion of one part sugar to twenty-four of 

 urine; but an obstacle, from swarms of bees de- 

 vouring the mixture as soon as put into the 

 troughs, prevented the experiment from being 

 carried on at the usual hour, and the mixture was 

 obliged to be given to the sheep in the evening in- 

 stead ofthe morning; they werc,however, no sooner 

 accustomed to the change of time, than they fed 

 upon it as greedily as upon the other mixtures, 

 and there was no reason to conclude that the 

 urine had any influence in abating their appetites, 

 or was in any degree offensive to them. The ex- 

 periment next in succession was with palm-oil, 

 which appeared very likely to answer the purpose 

 of the experiment, and as far as the sheep were 

 concerned, it fully justified the expectation; for 

 they did not seem coucious that any variation had 

 been made in their usual repast. The experiment 

 with assafcetida was then renewed, and the sheep 

 fed on this as readily as on the other mixtures; it 

 was given in the proportion of one part to two 

 hundred of sugar. The next experiment was 

 with the empyreumatic oil of hartshorn, a sub- 

 stance uncommonly offensive to the smell; but 

 even this was not rejected by more than two or 

 three sheep, and not by them for more than a day 

 or two; the proportion of it was one in two hun- 

 dred and twenty of sugar. Tartar emetic, in the 

 proportion of two hundred and forty of sugar, 



was afterwards given, and produced no ill effect 

 on the bowels of the animals. Dr. Cartwright 

 being convinced, from these experiments, that of 

 the substances recommended for the purpose unfit 

 lor common uses, and of which he had made the 

 trial, there was none which sheep would reject 

 when mixed with sugar, in proportions sufficient 

 to answer the end proposed, thought it might be 

 also satisfactory to the Board to know in what 

 larger proportions the oils might be given beiore 

 the sheep would betray symptoms of disgust. 

 Linseed-oil, train-oil, and palm-oil, were given in 

 the proportion of on^. to eight, and the allowance 

 of sugar at the same time increased to two ounces 

 each per da} - ; and these mixtures appeared to be 

 equally as palatable to the sheep, as any thing 

 which had been administered, and produced the 

 same results, and without occasioning any change 

 in the slate of the bowels. 



On the 29th of September the sheep were 

 again weighed, when their average weight was 

 nearly 109 lbs. each, being an increase of up- 

 wards of one-fifth of their original weight; and 

 they were tolerably fat, though it was the opinion 

 of the person who purchased them, that they 

 would not make themselves fat on grass only be- 

 fore Christmas. 



From the 24th of September to the 22nd of 

 October, their allowance of food was increased to 

 a quart of bran per day, one pint of peas and 

 three ounces of sugar," ringing changes at the 

 same time with the different substances with 

 which the sugar was debased, which was done to 

 discover the particular substance they most re- 

 lished, and though they appeared to be extreme- 

 ly fond of all, yet, if a conjecture might be haz- 

 arded, the preference was in favor of train-oil. 

 Dr. Cartwright, however, suggests, (if the prac- 

 tice of using sugar in this way should be adopt- 

 ed,) that instead of employing any one of these 

 articles singly, it would not be unadvisable to use 

 a composition of several of them together, which 

 would be attended with no additional expense; 

 and he recommends — instead of mixing, for ex- 

 ample's sake, four pounds of palm-oil, with one 

 hundred weight of sugar — that four pounds of a 

 mixture be substituted, composed of palm-oil one 

 pound, train-oil one pound, urine two pounds, 

 emetic tartar two ounces, assafotida 24 grains, 

 and oil of hartshorn 28 drops; since in this com- 

 position are comprised an animal, a vegetable, 

 and an empyreumatic oil, a substance containing 

 ammoniacal and other salts, metallic calx, and a 

 resinous gum; and the whole expense of which 

 would not exceed one shilling and eight-pence 

 upon each hundred weight of sugar. He is also 

 of opinion, that the most practicable way of man- 

 aging this businass, would be to have only one 

 person or company in each sea-port, where sugar 

 is imported from the West Indies, licensed to sell 

 it in the adulterated state. 



This detail of the experiments is thought by 

 the author to have afl'orded a very satisfactory 

 conclusion, that sugar thus adulterated may be 

 advantageously given to sheep, and indeed to 

 other animals; for a horse was equally fond of it, 

 and both sheep and horses are known to be deli- 

 cate leeding animals compared with cattle.* 



* In the West Indies, it is a common practice to 

 give molasses to both oxen and horses: it is mixed 



