34 ECONOMY OF FARMING. 



is then allowed to ferment The peasants of Swabia, also preserve the leaves of 

 cabbage, beet, an 1 other roots for ieeding their cattle. After throwing them into 

 boiling water, they heap them up in deep casks or boxes 5 or 6 feet square, fixed on 

 posts. Every Sth day they add new layers of leaves, which they take care to salt. 

 The whole tlien becomes sour, and when preserved for winter use it Ibrms excellent 

 food." 



I have taken occasion to introduce the above views and calculations in this place, 

 as they seem most appropriate here, and will be found useful to the intelligent 

 farmers of our country, though some of them of course must need modification, as the 

 price of iiay and labor is generally so much higher with us than in Germany. The 

 further points of the question respecting the comparative advantages of horses or 

 oxen, will be presented hereafter. — Tr.J 



7. Besides the difference of the cost which the support of oxen or 

 horses occasions, we must also take into view, the difference of expense 

 of their purchase, the unlike depreciation in value by use, the different 

 hazards, their value, either wholly or partially lost after death, their 

 harness, he. 



Horses m the first purchase cost almost double what oxen do ; their value is di- 

 minished in a like ratio ; they grow old after six years ; defects of beauty have an 

 important influence in the sale of them ; their harness and shoeing is more expensive ; 

 and if they happen to receive an injury which disqualifies them for work, their whole 

 value is lost, because after they are dead they can be put to no use : whilst oxen, by 

 the same amount of labor do not equally depreciate in value, even if they are old, in 

 12 years; faults of beauty have less influence in sinking their value ; their harness is 

 as simple as it is cheap, and their being shod when used in tillage, is unnecessary ; 

 and when killed they answer for food ; the working ox too, unfit for labor by being 

 fatted, is made of great value, and even in the event of some misfortune, if killed in a 

 leaner condition, his value is only partially lost. 



[On the subject of fattening oxen, our Author, in Vol. II. p. 258. has the following 

 observations : " To fatten oxen simply on hay can only be profitable where there is 

 great natural growth of hay, and the hay has no higher value than it holds in fatten- 

 ing one's own cattle. The greatest experiments concerning the fattening Avith hay, 

 are related by Count Podcwill, in his Wirthsch. Erfahrungen II. Th. 58. (Agricul- 

 tural Experiments, 2d part, p. 58.) From the year 1784 to 1800, he had 1497 Polish, 

 and 226 country-breed oxen, fatted on hay. Late in Autumn, they pastured on the 

 meadows, after the second-mowed crop was brought home, and were stalled about 

 the 1st of November. They were fed only on hay, and were slaughtered in small 

 divisions, from the end of December till the middle of June ; on an average they 

 were foddered 20 weeks. Each ox received weekly, on an average, 187;^ lbs. daily, 

 26 1 lbs. of Vienna weiaht, CI lb. = to about 1| lb. English.) of good sweet hay, 



W. 



For fattening one ox, 3745 lbs. were required. How much they gained in weight 

 in fattening is not given, but only how much they gained in value : and from this the 

 conclusion is drawn, as to the increase of flesh, which is not the correct mode. A 

 Polish ox cost in the purchase, 58 florins 53 kreutzers, Conv, gold, (= $28,25.) 

 and was sold for 75 fl. 45 kr. (= $36,33) ; there was Iherefbre a gain of 16 fl. 

 52 kr. (=1 $8.08) ; but since for housing and fodder, for interest on purchase capital, 

 implements, &c., there must be deducted on each head, 3 fl. 16 kr. (= $1,50), so 

 3745 lbs. of hay must be reckoned at 13 fl. 36 kr. (= $6,52) if the straw-litter is made 

 to balance the manure, as Podewill does. One hundred weight of hay here for fattening 

 costs 21^ kr. (=16 cts.) According to Table IV. (in his work), the mean of the fatted 

 oxen slaughtered in the house, was in flesh 376 lbs., and 45 lbs. of tallow. But ac- 

 cording to Table 38, the Polish oxen weighed in flesh and fat only 397 lbs., the 

 country-breed ones 359 lbs. The pound Vienna of flesh is put at 6.71 kr. (about4cts.), 

 a pound of tallow at 15.65 kr. (about 12 cts.). and the hide at 6 florins ( = $2.88). The 

 cwt. of flesh, according to Table IV. is reckoned at 15 fl. 54 kr. (= $7,60| cts.) and 

 Bince the gain of sale over the purchase, on a head, was 16 fl. 52 kr. (^ $8.08). it had 

 in 140 days gained only a little more than 1 cwt, and the gain was very small, if we 

 bring not into the account also the bettering and raisin tr the value of the mass of 

 flesh of the whole stock of cattle. Thaer assumes, but I know not from what expe- 

 riments, that an ox of 700 to 750 lbs., to which is daily given 40 lbs. of good hay, 

 will daily gain about 2 lbs. If the wortli of a pound oif fat flesh is 2 groschen (about 



