USE OF CORN MEAL. 371 



Columbus and the Delaware Ox — fatted by the late John Barney of Delaware, 

 a man of uncommon sagacity and enterprise in the line of his business as a graz- 

 ier and victualer. 



" Columbus " weighed alive 2,962 pounds. The " Delaware Ox " 2,688, the 



rough tallow of the first was 218 pounds, of the second 2735. The net weight 

 of the first 2,090, of the last 1,851. The loss unaccounted for in the first case was 

 883, and in that of the Delaware Ox lOo^. In the history of these animals, ac- 

 companied by a good portrait of the DelaAvare Ox that would now be looked on 

 as a caricature, we stated : " In reply to inquiries on that point, Mr. Barney in- 

 forms us that ivatching the appetite of these oxen and carefully regulating their 

 meals according to the weather, [doubtless giving more in proportion as it was 

 colder,] they were kept always in good health — seldom failed to eat their allow- 

 ance, and were never surfeited. 



He [an Englishman] considers that 1.71 the means of fattening cattle this coun- 

 try possesses, in its Indian corn, an advantage over England for which she has 

 no adequate substitute. He gives the preference to Indian meal over every other 

 species of food for fattening either sheep or cattle, and gives it in its dry unsift- 

 ed state. But he is clearly of opinion that a much less quantity of meal will 

 answer, and that it is eaten wit'h a better appetite when used in conjunction with 

 ruta-baga : of this root he has the highest opinion, agreeing with Mr. Cobbett, 

 that it is sweeter and far more nutritious than any other vegetable used for feed- 

 ing live-stock." 



We have a letter on this subject from Mr. Stafford which happens at the mo- 

 ment not to be within reach. We shall give it, with some other opinions and 

 facts to illustrate a question of the highest importance to the cultivators of a sta- 

 ple amounting probably, the past year, to 500,000,000 of bushels. 



Such analyses of Indian corn as have been made in foreign countries and at 

 home shall also be published. Our Societies and Institutes have been repeated- 

 ly urged to have the plant, in all its parts and stages of growth, analyzed, it be- 

 ing a subject of almost universal interest to the agricultural community ; but, it 

 would cost a little trouble to have it done, and moreover would require perhaps 

 a few hundred dollars out of the thousands that are received and hoarded for 

 speculative purposes and expenditures, beyond their proper sphere, instead of ap- 

 plying them to practical things — to reward philosophical investigations, and to 

 introduce nev/ machinery and plants and seeds, and the application of science 

 and of steam to practical Agriculture. 



Newmarket, Nov. 2~, 1847. 



Dear Sir : 1 received your very friendly communication of the 18th inst. in- 

 closing a letter of introduction from my friend and acquaintance, Oliver Beirne 

 of New- York, making inquiries of me on the mode and manner of fatting cattle 

 with corn meal. 



I have been a feeder for the last 35 years, and can only give you my own ex- 

 perience on the subject. I have generally fatted in the spring season 40 to 50- 

 bullocks. I commence mealing when I turn my stock to grass — give each bul- 

 lock one gallon of meal night and morning. The meal is prepared by crushing 

 the coTJi cob with the corn, ground very fine. It makes as many buslu'ls of meal- 

 as we have bushels of corn in the cob ; so that it just doubles the quantity of 

 meal by grinding the cob with the corn. We have no mode of ascertaining how 

 much per day, or month, we can lay on a bullock by this mode of feeding, as we 

 have no scales to weigh our cattle ; but we suppose when we have a bullock 

 under good way of fatting we can lay on him something like 2 lbs. per day. It 

 only takes two months' grazing and feeding to fit a bulhjck for market provided 

 he is in good stock order when wc commence with meal. It would take double 

 or treble the time to fatten the same animal on grass alone. We take cattle, for 



(731) 



