FEEDING STOCK. 377 



FEEDING STOCK. 



ESSEX. 



From the Report of the Committee. 



We regret to say that, at our late annual fair, the results of 

 no experiments, successful or unsuccessful, were presented for 

 your committee's consideration. But we should regret still 

 more to think that this fact is an indication of the real interest 

 which the farmers of Essex County feel on the subject, and to 

 be forced to believe that the matter is at rest. We apprehend 

 that this subject is of vital importance where good beef and 

 pork are spoken of as being plenty or scarce and at high or 

 low prices ; but how the prime or indhTerent article gets there 

 is another question, with which few are disposed to trouble 

 themselves, except they are engaged in the business. As, how. 

 ever, our best cattle and swine do not " rain down " nor run 

 wild in the forest, there is need of expending a portion of our 

 time and capital for the supply of our markets with these sta- 

 ple products, that the business may be a remunerative one to 

 the producer. 



And here we need the light of experience other than that 

 which has yet been gained. What is requisite is, that we pos- 

 sess a knowledge of carefully-conducted experiments respect- 

 ing the laws of nutrition, health, and the best process of fatten- 

 ing animals whose flesh is so nutritious. For it is well known 

 that long practice may of itself only confirm wrong views and 

 habits ; and it is evident that for some reason there is a de- 

 ficiency, both in quantity and quality, in the cattle and swine 

 now furnished for our market. Complaints are every where 

 rife on this subject. There are many whose powers of masti- 

 cation groan under the attempt to subsist on tough beef and 

 Western pork. We believe that there are evils somewhere, 

 which need to be sought out and remedied. Those of us who 

 were not born Grahamites are well persuaded that there is a 

 reason for the difference between the hale, hearty, jovial look 

 of the farmers of Essex County, and the lean, lank visage of 



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