MANAGEMENT OF GRASS LANDS. 375 



practice of feeding grain to cattle, unless under peculiar cir- 

 cumstances, cannot be recommended, and more especially 

 while roots adapted to the purpose, such as the sugar-beet, are 

 so readily raised ; in great abundance. A gentleman residing 

 in Chester county, J. J. MILLIGAN, made an experiment on 

 this subject. In his account* he says, I ascertained that two 

 yokes of oxen would sell off the grass for two hundred dollars. 

 This I considered a fair price; but being disposed to stall feed 

 for more profit, I had them placed in the stalls on the first of 

 November, 1836, and sold them the middle of February fol- 

 lowing, when beef was selling "high" in the market, at nine 

 cents per pound, with the allowance of sixty pounds to the one 

 hundred for beef, which was equal to five dollars and thirty- 

 three cents per hundred on the live weight. My account then 

 is as follows: 



DR. CR. 



4 cattle worth 120000 By 4 cattle sold $30000 



5J tons hay, at 812 66 00 Manure, exclusive of littering 15 00 

 102 bushels of corn at 90 cts. 91 60 



24 bushels of oats at 45 cts. 12 60 315 00 



Loss 61 64 



370 40 



Interest on the above for 3$ mo. 6 24 $370 04 





837664 



The experimenter has made here no calculation as to the 

 time occupied in overlooking these animals, neither has he stated 

 how the grain was fed, whether in a raw and whole or cooked 

 state; we apprehend the former, though we greatly regret the 

 omission in the statement. Mr. MILLIGAN, has certainly 

 placed the agricultural community under great obligations, for 

 shewing wherein he failed. In this he has risen superior to 

 prejudice. It is as necessary for us to know wherein expe- 

 riments have proved unfavourable as otherwise. We sub- 

 join another experiment see Farmer's Cabinet, vol. ii. p. 

 293 by ISAAC W. ROBERTS, of Lower Merion, Montgomery 

 county, addressed to the Philadelphia Society for Promoting 

 Agriculture. He says 



Believing that the cause of agriculture may be promoted by practical obser- 

 vations and statistical facts, and that theories and principles should be based 

 on these, I beg leave to communicate a statement regarding four bullocks 

 which I have had the pleasure of bringing to a high degree of perfection. One 

 of these steers was admitted to be one of the fattest ever exhibited in the 

 Philadelphia market, and the others very little inferior to him. By the an- 

 nexed statement it will be seen that the result, of between two and three years 

 stall feeding, has been to pay me full prices for the grain, beets and hay con- 

 sumed, and allow the manure for straw and labour, a result that I think would 

 satisfy any reasonable farmer or grazier. At the same time to succeed well 

 with feeding large cattle, it is necessary that they should be kind and good 

 feeders. They should also be attendee! with especial care. Without these 

 pre-requisites the farmer had better sell his grain than stall feed cattle. 



* Farmer's Cabinet, vol. ii. p. 227. 



