CHAP. XTT. EXPERIENCES IN FEEDING FOK BEEF. 213 



may be learned from the facts we have stated, that it is not good 

 practice to adhere closely to any one system to the exclusion of others ; 

 that, as we have seen changes of food to be good, so also does it 

 appear to be that changes in the methods of preparing and of giving it 

 are also beneficial. 



On many farms, in some seasons, the stock of roots and hay for 

 various reasons is but scanty ; the best efforts of the feeder are there- 

 fore demanded in order to find out some economical mode of supple- 

 menting them, if not of finding substitutes for them. A substitute or 

 supplement of a valuable kind has been found in bruised linseed and 

 bean-meal in equal proportions mixed with damped cut hay, or if hay 

 is very scarce, with straw chaff. Where a copper or boiler is on the pre- 

 mises, the cooking of the food may sometimes be adopted with ad vantage. 

 In this, case, to every quart of boiling water stir in one pound of bean- 

 meal ; this should be mixed with the quantity of linseed-meal intended 

 to be used, and also with the chaff. It appears that, according to the 

 estimate, 4 Ib. of this food is equal to 19 Ib. of roots. 



As to the comparative profit derivable from the various kinds of food 

 used, the following results of a carefully conducted set of experiments 

 recorded in the Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural Society 

 of Scotland will be useful : 



" Six bullocks that were bred upon the farm were equally divided 

 into single boxes ; they were supplied with cut roots the first month 

 swedes, the second swedes and mangel mixed ; latterly, mangel ; in 

 addition they had 6 Ib. of rough or low meadow hay cut into chaff, and 

 5 Ib. of oil-cake, or value to that amount. They were divided into 

 three lots of two each : lot 1 had 5 Ib. of oil-cake each bullock ; lot 2, 

 barley and wheat-meal to the same value ; and lot 3, bruised linseed. 

 The oil-cake cost 10. 10s., barley and wheat-meal 81. 15s., and the 

 bruised linseed 13Z. per ton. The experiment lasted four months, or 

 112 days ; each bullock was weighed before putting up, and every 

 successive month. It was found that the increase at the end was as 

 follows : 



Lot 1. Oil-cake gained live weight 637 Ib. 



Lot '2. Wheat and barley meal do. 669 ,, 



Lot3. Bruised linseed do. 718 ,, 



It is thus shown that linseed gave most weight for value consumed, and 

 oil- cake the least. As already stated, the experiment was continued 

 for 112 days; we therefore find that each bullock during the time 

 consumed 5 cwt. oil-cake, or value to that amount, 6 cwt. of hay chaff, 

 and 90 cwt. of roots. It is found that the average increase was 337 Ib. 

 each live weight, which is equal to 16 stones (14 Ib.) dead. The 

 feeding statistics will stand as follows : 



s. d. 



5 cwt. of oil-cake at 10Z. 10s. per ton . . . . 2 12 6 



6 cwt. of low meadow hay at 60s. per ton . . . 18 

 16 weeks' attendance at 6d. per week . . . . 080 



3 18 6 

 16 stones of beef gained, at 8*. per stone . . . 680 



296 



