332 



Forms of Cattle. 



Vol. VIL 



According to M. Winterieldt, this brown 

 guano is sold at the ports near which it is 

 obtained, at about three shillings a cwt. It 

 might, therefore, if this be correct, be im- 

 ported into this country, and sold at less 

 than 10 shillings per cent. The price at 

 present asked, however, is 25 shillings per 

 cent, a cost at which it is doubtful if the 

 English agriculturist can afford to use it. 



In any case, it seems improbable that the 

 guano can continue to be imported into this 

 country for any length of time. It is ab- 

 solutely necessary to the cultivation of the 

 land in Peru, — and it is also diminishing 

 in quantity, — the first settled government, 

 therefore, which is formed in that country, 

 must prohibit the further exportation of a 

 substance so important to the national in 

 terests. It is a matter not unworthy of the 

 attention of chemists, therefore, to consider 

 whether a mixture similar to the guano, and 

 of equal efficacy, cannot be formed by art — 

 not only at a cost so reasonable as at once 

 to make the British farmer independent of 

 the importer, — but also in such abundance 

 as at the same time to place so valuable a 

 manure within the reach of all. 



The following mixture contains the seve- 

 ral ingredients found in guano, in nearly the 

 average proportions; and I believe it is likely 

 to be at least as efficacious as the natural 

 guano, for all the crops to which the latter 

 has hitherto been applied in this country: — 



£. s. d. 

 315 lbs. (7 bushels) of bone-dust, at 2s. 9d. 



per bushel 19 



100 lbs. of sulphate of ammonia,* con- 

 taining 35 lbs. of ammonia, at 20s. 



a cwt IS 



5 lbs. of pearl-ash 1 



100 lbs. of common salt 2 



11 lbs. of dry sulphate of soda 1 



531 lbs. of artificial guano cost 2 1 



The quantity here indicated may be inti- 

 mately mixed with 100 lbs. of chalk, and 

 will be fully equal in efficacy, I believe, to 

 4 cwt. of guano, now selling at £~). 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Forms of Cattle. 



Messes. Editors, — Your correspondent, 

 W. P. II., on page 200, of the present vol. 

 of the Cabinet, asks if some of your readers 

 cannot furnish the most approved anatomical 

 forme of cattle, particularly the milch cow ! 



Some years ago, I wrote for '• The Re- 

 porter," a piece on this subject, which was 

 republished in "The Franklin Fanner," of 



* Sulphate of ammonia is now manufactured largely 

 at Glesgow, and may b:; had for less than -20 shillings 

 a cwt. 



Feb. 1838. As this piece appears to answer 

 your correspondent's request, I shall trans- 

 cribe a part of it for that purpose, and make 

 such additional remarks as may be suggested. 

 In making the following observations, I ac- 

 knowledge my obligations to many writers; 

 but none to the gentleman in Indiana, who 

 a few years ago furnished the piece, as pub- 

 lished in "The PVanklin Farmer," to an 

 agricultural paper of that State, as his own 

 production. 



The two principal objects in raising cattle, 

 appear to be beef and milk. And as certain 

 forms are found to possess particular quali- 

 ties, I shall proceed to give those forms, and 

 the desirable qualities generally connected 

 with them. 



The head should be small — the muzzle 

 fine — the countenance calm — horns fine — 

 neck light, particularly where it joins the 

 head ; — breast wide, and projecting well be- 

 fore the legs — shoulders moderately broad 

 at top, and the points well in, so as to leave 

 no hollows behind them when the animal is 

 moderately fat; — the girth behind the shoul- 

 ders should be deep, so that if the carcass 

 should be cut across here, the section would 

 be an ellipse, blunt at both ends; — back 

 straight, wide and fiat; — ribs broad, and the 

 space between them and the hips small ; — 

 flank full and heavy — belly well kept in — 

 hips globular, wide across and on a level 

 with the back — twist wide, and the seam in 

 the middle of it well filled — thigh straight, 

 tapering well down to the hock; — the legs 

 straight, short jointed, clean, fine boned, and 

 standing wide apart — tail broad towards the 

 top, tapering down small towards the bot- 

 tom — body long, and joined smoothly to the 

 quarters before and behind — skin soft and 

 elastic — veins large. 



I shall now proceed to show the advan- 

 tages of the above form. The reason why 

 the head should be small and muzzle fine, — 

 a small head facilitates birth ; and as the 

 head is composed mostly of bone, it shows 

 fineness of bone, the advantage of which is 

 fully appreciated by the grazier, who has 

 learned that no animal fattens kindly that 

 lacks them. Calmness of countenance also 

 denotes a disposition to be contented, and is 

 generally possessed by a gentle milch cow, 

 and also denotes an animal that will fatten 

 easily. The light neck will be very advan- 

 tageous to the butcher, who will get much 

 less marse meat in such; short neck gene- 

 rally denotes a thrifty, hardy animal. A 

 long, or ewe-neck, — that is, one falling off 

 from the top of shoulders — denotes a tender 

 constitution. 



The wide breast and deep body, give 

 greater room for the lungs, the importance 



