WORCESTER SOCIETY. 179 



fied their own consciences by returning a load of manure for 

 every load of hay sold from their farm, will find that they have 

 been robbing their land of three-fifths of the manure which of 

 right belongs to it. Mr. Dodge, in a letter to the chairman, 

 states that during one of the periods of two weeks, his steers 

 ate 508 lbs. of hay and 100 lbs. of meal, in which time all the 

 solid manure was saved and thrown into a heap in the stable 

 by itself; that at the expiration of the two weeks the manure 

 was found to weigh 1,136 lbs., and measured 25 bushels, po- 

 tato measure. 



The subject of feeding stock is of the utmost importance to 

 the farmer, and although the books are full of recommenda- 

 tions of the use of the cutting machine, being the assertions 

 of anonymous correspondents, unsupported by facts upon the 

 particular question submitted to your committee, they do not 

 find that it has been discussed in the agricultural publications, 

 or any facts stated that can have any application to it, except 

 by inference. Of some of the most reliable statements in 

 relation to feeding, they have made some extracts, as contain- 

 ing information which may be useful to be understood by the 

 farmers of our county. 



In the fourth volume of the " Memoirs of the Philadelphia 

 Society for Promoting Agriculture," in a long communication 

 from Richard Peters, entitled " Notices to a Young Farmer," 

 he says, page 30 : " Be particularly careful in expending, as 

 you should be provident in raising, every species of provender 

 for your stock of horses, cattle and sheep. A variety of food, 

 and an orderly distribution of it, are more promotive of health 

 and vigor in your domestic animals, than a lavish expenditure of 

 any one species. Such as require previous preparation, should 

 have it bestowed : both for profit and economy, cut or chaff 

 your hay, straw, corn tops and blades, and even your stalks, 

 with a powerful straw cutter; and you will save a great 

 proportion, which is otherwise wasted, or passed through the 

 animal without contributing to its nourishment. One bushel 

 of chaffed hay at a mess, given in a trough, three times in 

 twenty-four hours, is sufficient for a horse, ox or cow. A bushel 

 of chaffed hay, lightly pressed, weighs from five to five and 

 one-half pounds. A horse, or horned beast, thrives more on 



