ON FARMS. ON FATTENING CATTLE AND SWINE. 133 



1 have since pursued the same course iu using the manure 

 that I have on hand every fall, thinking if there is a small loss 

 either by leaching or evaporation, it is not so great as the ex- 

 tra expense of carting out in the fall, and piling up in trig 

 heaps, as manure should always be, if destined to lie over 

 winter. But my practice till this autumn, has always been to 

 apply the manure in the fall to loamy soil. The past season, 

 I had an acre of land planted with potatoes ; most of this field 

 was of a sandy texture. After the potatoes were dug and the 

 tops removed, I carted on to this acre twenty-two loads of 

 manure, spread, and then harrowed the ground with a heavy 

 harrow. Next spring I shall add more manure, and use the 

 cultivator and harrow only, so as not to disturb the inverted 

 sv/ard, and plant with corn. There may be some loss of the 

 manure on this sandy soil by leaching ; but I do not think it 

 will be equal to the expense of having to remove ihe manure 

 next Spring, as is usually practiced by most farmers. If you 

 have sandy soils, upon which you wish to apply manures in 

 autumn, I think you would not suffer much loss in carting on 

 fine manure (whether it is stubble ground, or inverted soil.) 

 and working it into the surface soil, by the harrow and culti- 

 vator. Yours truly, LEVI BARTLETT. 



FATTENING CATTLE AND SWINE. 



In the absence of any statements of competitors for the 

 premiums offered on this subject, the Chairman of the Com- 

 mitttee would communicate some facts within his experience, 

 relating to the management of Cattle and Swine. Our annual 

 custom at the Town Farm, in Danvers, has been for a number 

 of years past, to keep four oxen for labor on the farm, for which 

 we find constant employment ; and we usually purchase those 

 in working condition, and of a large size. They are fed with 

 the products of the farm and Indian meal, giving them from 

 four to six quarts of meal per day ; generally the latter quan- 

 tity after the first three months. Their skins are kept clean 

 by the use, every day, of the card and brush. This I think 



