64 FARM MANAGEMENT 



of cattle for the butcher. Fattening in yards 

 is chiefly confined to arable farms, and is done 

 as much for the purpose of manufacturing 

 manure as for making a profit out of the 

 animals themselves ; in fact, it is often found 

 that the manure is the only profit attaching to 

 the proceeding. By fattening stock in this 

 way the roots are consumed which it is 

 necessary to grow in order to prepare the land 

 for corn, so that it is really to the corn crop 

 one must look for the actual profit attaching to 

 the growth of roots and the fattening of bullocks 

 on them. 



This fattening in stalls or yards is carried 

 out in winter, the store cattle being bought in 

 at about 8 cwt. each and fattened for a period 

 of some three months, and then sold weighing 

 about 13 cwt. each. The food consists mainly 

 of roots, oat straw and hay, supplemented with 

 grain and cake ; a typical daily ration would be 

 as follows : — i cwt. swedes, 2 lbs. decorticated 

 cotton cake, 2 lbs. linseed cake, and 14 lbs. oat 

 straw. The rations, however, vary a good deal 

 according to the weight of green food available 

 and the market prices of the purchased food- 

 stuffs, as, of course, the cheapest should be 



