CATTLE. 



CATTLE. 



corn is not raised to any considerable extent, 

 the cattle are generally fed upon hay and 

 potatoes, whilst in the river valleys Indian 

 meal is generally and most advantageously 

 substituted for potatoes. When potatoes are 

 chiefly depended upon in stall-feeding, a 

 bushel of these well washed, are usually given 

 in a day to each head, at two or more times, 

 along with as much good hay as the animal 

 can consume, but no water is allowed. Many 

 farmers think that a yoke of oxen put up in 

 good condition, may be well fatted or finished 

 off for market with one hundred bushels of po- 

 tatoes, in addition to the hay they will con- 

 sume. Cattle fed upon potatoes will, it is said, 

 in general prove as well, that is, have as much 

 tallow, as those fed in any way, and the beef 

 of such cattle is thought by many to have a 

 peculiar juiciness or sweetness. In driving 

 to market, however, the cattle fed upon pota- 

 toes will fall away more than those fed upon 

 hay and corn ; and when they come into mar- 

 ket by no means appear as well. Several 

 farmers are in the practice of boiling or 

 steaming the potatoes which they give to their 

 cattle, and profess to find a great advantage in 

 it. The experiments which have come within 

 my own knowledge have not yet satisfied me 

 that the advantages are a compensation for 

 the labour and expense incurred by such 

 operation. 



" The articles usually employed in fattening 

 cattle are hay and Indian meal, or corn and 

 rye meal mixed, or pease and oats, or oats and 

 corn ground together. Besides this, many 

 farmers are in the practice of giving their 

 stall-fed cattle occasionally certain quantities 

 of potatoes. An excellent farmer, of fifty 

 years experience in the fatting of cattle, is of 

 opinion that potatoes are good feed for fatting 

 cattle in the fall and spring, when the weather 

 is warm ; but that they do no good in cold 

 weather unless they are cooked. I rely much 

 upon his judgment and experience. The value 

 of potatoes is differently estimated by different 

 individuals; some considering five bushels, 

 others rating four bushels, as equivalent to one 

 bushel cf corn. 



" In the feeding of cattle for market a great 

 deal of practical skill is required, and constant 

 observation of their condition, otherwise they 

 may be surfeited and their appetite destroyed ; 

 or their digestive powers be overtasked and 

 the feed fail of its object. 



" A farmer in Charlemont, of large experience 

 in the fatting of stock, considers the common 

 English or flat turnip of little value for fatten 

 ing stock. The cattle fed upon them appear 

 healthy and in fine condition, but yield very 

 little tallow. A pair of cattle fatted by him 

 and much admired by the butchers, which 

 weighed eighteen hundred pounds when 

 dressed, had only thirty pounds tallow each 



" I presume the experiment has never been 

 fairly tried, of the value of turnips for fattening 

 stock. This is likely to have been only a soli- 

 tary instance ; besides this, we want to know 

 in the case, how many turnips were given : 

 under what circumstances they were given 

 and with what other feed accompanied. 

 "The same farmer is of opinion, that oil-mea 



for fattening cattle is of great value. He is 

 quite content to pay twenty to twenty-three 

 dollars per ton, the current price for it in his 

 town. A farmer in Conway concurs in this 

 opinion; and believes that for a beneficial 

 hange a farmer can well afford to buy oil- 

 meal with corn at bushel for bushel. The 

 price here rises sometimes to thirty dollars 

 per ton. The weight of oil-meal is about forty- 

 five pounds to the bushel." 



In England and Scotland, turnips are freely 



iven to growing and fattening cattle, though 



more sparingly to milch cows, in consequence 



of the flavour they impart to milk and butter.* 



Mr. Colman furnishes the results of expe- 

 rience gained by many persons who have 

 been long in the practice of stall-feeding. A 

 few of these we shall notice. 



" A. R. has twenty head of cattle in the stall. 

 They are of good size and calculated to aver- 

 age over eleven hundred pounds each, when 

 dressed in Brighton. 



"He has tried a variety and a mixture of feed, 

 such as oats, broom-corn seed, &c., but he pre- 

 fers Indian meal to every other feed. He dis- 

 approves of excessive feeding ; and thinks it a 

 great error to give tob much. He deems four 

 quarts with hay ordinarily enough; and ten 

 quarts a day sufficient for any animal. He 

 feeds twice a day with great regularity. His 

 present cattle have never received over eight 

 quarts per day each ; and at first putting up a 

 much less quantity. ^He deems it best to re- 

 duce their feed of provender a few days before 

 starting for market. He buys his cattle for 

 feeding in the fall ; and his present stock 

 averaged in the cost seventy-five dollars per 

 pair. 



"S. W. is of opinion that one bushel of corn 

 one year old for feeding any kind of stock, is 

 equal to one bushel and one peck of new corn, 

 or corn before it becomes perfectly sound and 

 dry. 



M T. C. has in stall, 27th February, five pairs 

 of oxen, which were purchased in Brighton, in, 

 June last. When purchased, they were thin 

 in flesh and were immediately put into good 

 pasture. The cost was as follows : 



Two pairs cost 60 dollars per yoke - 120 00 



One pair cost 46 50 " " - - 46 50 



" 47 00 " " - - 47 00 



45 00 " " - - 45 00 



*' These cattle were put into a good pasture 

 until the 20th of November, when they were 

 brought to the stall. From that time until the 

 20th December, they were fed with hay only. 

 From that time until the first of January, they 

 received six quarts of provender each, daily. 

 From the first of January, they received each 



* Turnips, though used extensively as an auxiliary in 

 feeding cattle and other stock in Europe, and especially 

 in Great Britain, do not seem to answer so well in the 

 United States, unless perhaps it may be in some portions 

 of New England. The general complaint against them 

 in the Middle States, is that they do not appear to pos- 

 sess sufficient nourishing and fattening qualities. Hence 

 the sugar beet, ruta baga, maneel-wurtzel, and carrot 

 are greatly preferred, all of which roots may be given 

 with very great advantage to stock, as auxiliaries. 

 Testimonials of their value when thus employed are 

 numerous and conclusive. For information relative to 

 the feeding of cattle on turnips, see Stephens's "Book 

 of the Farm." 



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