160 THE COMPLETE GRAZIER. BOOK i. 



in the summer and winter feeding, we treat the two s} r stems as distinct 

 in character, denoting however the one as " summer soiling," the other 

 as " winter box or stall-feeding." We proceed, therefore, to say a 

 few words on both these important subjects. 



Before doing so, however, we think that a brief notice of the principal 

 points of a paper read by Mr. Owen Wallis before the Central Farmers' 

 Club, on the "Feeding of Stock on Pasture Land," will be valuable. 

 After pointing out that a very great proportion of the cattle sent to market 

 are insufficiently fed and after quoting the opinion of an eminent 

 cattle salesman of London, that with very little additional feeding the 

 cattle sent to market might average ten stones per head more than they 

 do Mr. Wallis proceeds to discuss the remedies proposed to meet 

 this state of matters. He refers at once to the mode of using oil-cake, 

 and other artificial food, in conjunction with summer grazing, as the 

 best means to give satisfactory results. But before this system of 

 fattening can be adopted, he insists upon the necessity of having 

 proper accommodation in the way of shelter-sheds for the cattle in the 

 pasture fields and further, that the large fields should be divided so 

 as to feed a limited number of beasts in each division. As to the 

 advantages of shelter-sheds or hovels, Mr. Wallis is of opinion that 

 they are as much required in summer as in winter. He says : " We 

 all know how much cattle often sink, in hot weather, in consequence of 

 racing about the fields when gadding. If they were tied up in sheds 

 during that time, and fed with a portion of either cake or meal, and a 

 small quantity of good hay or chaff given to them, this waste would not 

 only be prevented, but they would be rapidly gaining flesh." Again, 

 as to the importance of dividing large fields so as to limit the number 

 of beasts in each part, Mr. Wallis says that unless this is done before 

 the whole could be eaten out, the first portions would be taken, and 

 the weaker animals would be mastered by the stronger and deprived of 

 their fair share of food. A dozen to fifteen cattle is the best number 

 to put together in one field, but twenty is the maximum; The cake is 

 best given in boxes, laid down here and there in the field ; one box to 

 each beast. 



CHAPTER X. 



SUMMER SOILING OF CATTLE. 



fTIHE advocates of this system support it by the following arguments, 

 JL which no doubt deserve the attention of the grazier. 



I. By introducing the practice of soiling, a very considerable saving 

 of land will be effected. We do not coincide in the extravagant opinions 

 of some writers, or assert that one acre of cut grass soiled is equal 

 to three acres used as pasture ; yet in some particular crops, the 



