214 [Assembly 



known to all feeders. Full grown cattle intended for the butcher 

 are in season in November, December and January. 



Females are out of season when suckling their offspring, or a 

 short time thereafter. The flesh of animals stall fed on oil cake 

 and other similar matters, are not so wholesome or fine flavored 

 as those fed in the open air and daily exercised to a certain ex- 

 tent. A stall fed animal deprived of exercise, will fatten in one- 

 third less time than the exercised animal, and there is the same 

 difference, in my opinion, in the value of the food. It is well 

 known, that sheep fed upon mountains where they are compelled 

 to roam a great distance for food, although lean, are superior to 

 any other in flavor. Wild animals are never fat, but owing to 

 the fresh air they breathe, and constant exer.ise, their flesh, 

 though sinewy, tough and fibrous, is very high flavored and 

 wholesome. Wild birds, too, are much more delicious than the 

 domesticated. 



Carnivorous and herbivorous animals are the two classes of 

 quadrupeds used as food. The former live upon flesh; their 

 fibres are excessively tough, and their flesh coarse and unpalata- 

 ble. The herbivorous form the most delightful and wholesome 

 food. I believe if a carnivorous animal were domesticated and 

 fed upon vegetable instead of animal food, that his flesh would 

 become equally nutritive as that of any herbivorous animal. 

 White meats are thought to be the least stimulating, thougli they 

 are the most gelatinous. It is considered very remarkable that 

 travellers, with all the aid of zoological knowledge, have thus 

 far failed to ascertain the originals of many of our domesticated 

 animals. Another remarkable fact is, that all our animals while 

 living are called by their English-Saxon name, and the moment 

 we kill and dress them, their English names immediately become 

 Frenchified. For example, the pig, deer, sheep, calf, and ox, 

 while living: when dead are changed to pork, venison, mutton, 

 veal, and beef. The terms applied to cattle of different ages 

 are, when male, a bull ; when castrated, a strik; a year old, a 

 steer J five years old, an ox; a female five years old, a cow; 

 first year, a calf; after the first year, a heifer; when near calv- 

 ing, a young cow; a castrated female, a spayed heifer. 



