FEEDING STOCK IN ENGLAND. 423> 



might be raade to supersede profitably many of our products, and the more we 

 can diversify these, the more remunerating tlie product of them all. 



Nothing of this kind should be allowed to escape the vigilance and energy of 

 institutions acting in the name of the whole Union and, as such, supplied 

 with ample/unds, which, instead of being hoarded up, should be kept constantly 

 employed. Though many things thus imported might prove to be without value, 

 yet in a single case it would sometimes happen that more good would be done 

 than by volumes of translations from Spanish, and Greek, and Latin, and French, 

 of olden or of modern times, which better serve for display than real utility. 



Use of Indian Corn as Food for Stock in England. — The best opening, in 

 our view, at present, for a great increase of demand in Europe for our great 

 staple, Indian Corn, is in the prospect of having it take the place, especially in 

 England, oi oil-cake and other food, so largely employed there for feeding cattle. 

 It is every way worthy of the attention of the many who are directly interested 

 in the solution of the question. What is wanting is to find out, with all practi- 

 cable exactness, at what price, per hundred or per ton, the two articles will meet 

 each other, in competition, in the hands of the English farmer — then the nutri- 

 tive and fat-making properties of each — and finally, the A'alue which each im- 

 parts to the manure — a point which English Farmers look at with becoming 

 solicitude. 



Unfortunately, as to the nutritive qualities of a staple of which the last year 

 we produced more than 500,000,000 of bushels, we have no school or scientific 

 agricultural institutions, to which we can go to have that question settled with 

 accuracy ; nor at wliich we can learn, as in England, how much the use of any 

 particular food will augment the value of the manure produced by it. But if, 

 by any means, we could connect such investigations with the art and purposes- 

 of war, the Government provides amply for that. To the representatives of the 

 landed interest in Congress there is nothing so exhilarating, no stimulus to 

 legislative action so powerful, as the sight of a glittering epaulette, the roll of 

 the drum, the shrill music of the " ear-piercing hfe," and the smell of human 

 blood — nothing which so quickly prompts them to bestow all the means of sci- 

 entific instruction to cause analyses and surveys to be made and mapped, to give 

 instruction, life-commissions, large salaries, the choice of the public lands, and 

 liberal pensions to wives and children. Eighty per cent, of tlie public burdens, 

 willingly borne — nay, self-imposed — by this besotted nation, and that in time of 

 peace, is for tvarlike purposes, and no public man can be found to move m the 

 way of investigation or reform of such a prostitution of all the purposes of ra- 

 tional and enlightened Government. 



But to return to the mode of feeding cattle in England and the food used 

 there, with which our corn-meal would have to come in competition. At a late 

 meeting of one of their Agricultural Societies, their system of box feeding, which' 

 is highly spoken of, and fast getting into use, was thus described : 



At a recent mooting of the Cornwall Ajri-icultural Association, at Truro, Mr. Karkeek, of 

 Tnuo, gave the following useful information. Ho stated that that Mr. Trethewy, Mr. Tre- 

 eavvna and hinis(!!l' went out to Mr. Davey's fiu-ni for the purpose of .seeing the nj(!tliod of 

 feeding cattle latrly introcUiced tlieie. The farm was taken in by tlie Messrs. Davcy hut a 

 few yeiirs sijice, from the common at Tyw:u-nhayle. The plan consists in ll-eding cattle in 

 loose-boxes, on a compcunid of linseed and rye-meal, prepared as follows: 12:J lbs. of cru.shed 

 linseed is gradually mixed witli 21 gallons of boiling water in a copper; after wliicli, 84 lbs, 

 of rye-iDcal and a handful of salt are added. The mixture, having been well sriired, isccist 

 into moulds, forming cakes of 7 lbs. each. The quantities of ingredients above mentioned' 

 wili make thli'ty-six cakes, and the wliole can be munufactuif d by a man and two girla iu 

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