46 



best properties of thrift, mutton, and wool. The Leicester or Dish- 

 ley are larger and fatter ; but they are much more tender in their 

 constitution ; they require more keep and more care ; and neither 

 in England nor in the New York markets, where I have particularly 

 inquired of the butchers, are they considered so valuable. 



BEEF. 



The fattening of Beef is not greatly pursued in the county. 

 In general the farmers fatten their oxen when they deem it no longer 

 best to keep them for labor. Some farmers in Danvers fatten beef 

 to some extent and profit. One farmer in the northern part of the 

 county consumes all his produce in fattening cattle ; and he turns 

 them off twice a year. To those, which he stall feeds in winter, he 

 allows one bushel of potatoes and one peck of meal to a yoke with 

 hay per day. He lays the greatest stress upon regularity of manage- 

 ment. The condition of his whole place shows that he follows out 

 with rigid exactness his own precepts. He has great skill in buying 

 and selling, and therefore finds an advantage in this management. 



I have almost innumerable reports of the excellence of apples 

 for fattening beef as well as pork. Many farmers rate them as of 

 equal value with potatoes. Most think them greatly improved by 

 being steamed or boiled. I could hear of no exact experiments 

 having been made to determine this matter, and I place little reliance 

 upon vague inferences or impressions. It is well settled that the 

 cooking of food for swine is expedient and profitable. The advan- 

 tage of cooking food for fattening sheep is only as 14 to 13. The 

 cooking of feed for fattening neat cattle in my own experience, and 

 in the result of some full and careful experiments made not long 

 since in Scotland, will not aflbrd a benefit equivalent to the extra 

 expense. 



In passing through Manchester I was much struck with some 

 very fine cattle in a pasture by the road side. On inquiry I found 

 that with the exception of about two bushels of corn and twelve 

 bushels of potatoes given them in the spring, their feed had been 



