FATTENING CATTLE AND SWINE. 105 



farmers of Essex County feel on the subject, and be forced to be- 

 lieve 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 indifferent article gets there, is another question, with 

 which few are disposed to trouble themselves, except they are 

 engaged in the business. As, however, 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 staple 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 been long tried. What is requisite is, that we possess a 

 knowledge of carefully conducted experiments respecting the laws 

 of nutrition, health, and best process of fattening the 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 deficiency, both in quantity and 

 quality, in the cattle and swine now furnished for our market. 

 Complaints are everywhere rife on this subject. There are many 

 whose powers of mastication groan under the attempt to subsist on 

 tough beef and "W^estern 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 those of 

 some of the other occupations Our farmers have Yankee enough 

 in them to know what good meat is, and abihty sufficient to make 

 use of such for their tables. 



But the question recurs, what is to be done in order to make the 

 best of beef and pork abundant ? We say that first of all there 

 must be sought out by experiment, and then carefully practised, 

 better and cheaper modes for fattening the animals. We believe 

 the thing is feasible — that proper effort in this direction will be 

 successful. We would at present only hint on the subject. The 

 question is not so much, how we may fatten our best breeds of 

 cattle, or the young and most thriving animals, though in regard 

 even to those great improvement may doubtless be made. But the 

 chief difficulty lies m fattening better, and cheaper, our oxen thafe 



