184G. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



13 



It is well known that if a bin of corn be mois- 

 tened, it will heat and grow or rot. In the pro- 

 cess of sprouting, a seed first imbibes some por- 

 tion of the vital gas that surrounds it, which uni- 

 ting with the carbon in the starcli, forms carbonic 

 acid and evolves heat. When starch thus loses 

 one portion of its carbon, it is changed into a 

 kind of svgar, making as is well known, sweet 

 bi-ead from wheat a little grown. 1 f a grain of 

 wlieat be surrounded by a little waxy clay, only 

 a half inch in diameter, it will not sprout, be- 

 cause oxygen gixs cannot penetrate the compact 

 earth. By sowing the grain in wet weather, so 

 that the harrow covers the seed with mud, thou- 

 sands of bushels are lost. 



It is a matter of great practical importance to 

 know how to develop a large, vigorous growth of 

 root;?. On a poor soil this can only be done by 

 the aid of science. Deep plowing and a thor- 

 ougli pulverising of the soil are indispensable to 

 accomplish this object. 



The Fattening of Animals. 



The art of fattening domestic animals is less 

 studiel and understood, in this country, than al- 

 most any other branch of Agriculture. Our 

 farmers will find it much to their interest to de- 



experiments in creating a race of neat cattle and 

 sheep, which were remarkable for their dispos- 

 ition to take on fat. The fundamental princi- 

 ples established by him, after all his experience, 

 are these : that smallness of bone, fineness of 

 skin and a roundness of body, are the surest indi- 

 cations in cattle to foi-m a good deal of fat for 

 the provender coiismned. 



The most striking features of the Dishley 

 Breed, so mucl\ a iiivorite with Backwell, were : 



1st. The animal low on his legs. 



2d. The backbone .straight. 



3d. The carcass rounding and almost cylin- 

 drical. 



4th. The chest deep and large. 



All experience confirms the clear deductions 

 of physiology in regard to the importance of so 

 tending and rearing all domestic animals, as to 

 have them of a gentle, meek and quiet disposit- 

 ion. Such animals, are better milkers, and bet- 

 ter to take on and keep on both flesh and fat, than 

 others of a wild, running nature. 



Boussingault remarks that "in fattening ani- 

 mals in winter, which in some countries is done 

 almost exclusively on hay, an ox weighing 740 

 lbs., and consuming 40 lbs. of hay a day, will 

 increase in weight about '2 pounds daily. This 

 would be gaining only one pound of beef, live 



vote more attention to the whole operation of 



transforming grain, roots, hay and grass mio flesh weight, for'iO lbs. of hay. in the Rhenish pro 



and fat^ to the very best advantage. There is " ^» -. .. , • , 



reason to expect that well fatted cattle, sheep and 

 swine, for many years to come, raised and fitted 

 for t!ie shambles in Western New York, will pay 

 a living profit to send by rail-road to Albany and 

 Boe; >Ti Markets. To make money, however, at 

 the business, one must be a master of tlie art of 

 selecting and keeping the best animals of each 

 kiLid. Skill in this matter must be acquired 

 mainly by experience and close observation. 

 Much however can be gained by studying the 

 carefully recorded results of the experience of 

 others. These have led to the establishment of 

 a few general principles in feeding, some of 

 which we will name : 



An animal while growing in size, is less incli- 

 ned to take on fat than he will be after his bones, 

 tendons and muscles have come to maturity. 

 Yet, a young animal will extract more nourish- 

 ment from his food, and elaborate more flesh from 

 a given quantity of it, than an old animal, or 

 one that is in the meridian of life. In France, 

 where the science of fattening animals has been 

 cui'ivated with great care, and accuracy of de- 

 tail, it is found that fat beef can be cheapest made 

 from cows and bullocks at the ages of 7 and 8 

 years. The delay in time, cost of keep, and in- 

 terest on capital, are serious objections to these 

 ages. Where cows give milk, and oxen work, 

 and thus both pay their way, the system indica- 

 ted may be rendered quite profitable. 



The celebrated Engl'sh breeder. Robert Bake- 

 well, succeeded after many years of troublesome 



vnices m. Moll states that they allow 11 lbs. of 

 hay to every lOt) lbs of dead weight of the ani- 

 mal daily, and expect a gain equal to one-third 

 of its weiglit in three or four months. 



Mr. Stephenson at Alsace, in France, fed 19 

 bullocks 119 days, in three separate lots of six 

 beasts each, on white turnips, beans, linseed cake, 

 oats and potatoes. One lot consumed 49.7 lbs. 

 of hay each, and gained just 2 lbs. per diem, or 

 247.5 in all. At the time these animals were 

 put up, their average weight was 111.5 lbs., sec- 

 ond lot weighed at the beginning of the experi- 

 ment, an average of 1016 lbs. ; consumed of hay 

 ])er diem, 34.3 lbs. — gain in weight 1.9 lbs., or 

 in all 231.6 lbs. 



Third lot weiglied at first an average of 794 

 lbs. each, consumed of hay 16 lbs. per diem, a 

 day; and gained 0.9 of a pound, or 112.6 lbs. 

 in 119 days. 



An ox has been fattened on clover cut in blos- 

 som, and fed directly, consuming 100 lbs. daily, 

 and gaining 2 lbs. in live weight. When loose- 

 ness of the bowels is induced, a part of the green 

 clover is cured and then fed, of course not omit- 

 ting a fair seasoning of salt. Clover is better 

 for milch cows than timothy grass, as m.any care- 

 fully conducted experiments have proved. 



The blood of a fatted ox, weighing on his feet 

 1496 lbs., was 7.4 percent, of the whole weight, 

 or 110 lbs. The offi^l varies from 15 to 20 per 

 cent of tlie live vv-eight — that is, counting hide 

 and tallow as equal in value to the four quarters, 



M. Dubois, an extensive feeder, has realized 



