472 [AssEivnaLY 



Mr. Carter. — It is an error to allow different animals to feed on the 

 same field ; they select various plants in some respects, and cut too 

 close ; cattle leave often tufts of grass irregularly on the field ; these 

 should be mown down. Never put too many cattle in one field. 

 Solomon distinguished the cattle of his time as being some from the 

 field and some from the stall. It is a general mle thai three cattle 

 can be fed by cutting for them, and but two on pasture. The practice 

 of bleeding cattle continues ; butchers bleed calves about once a week. 

 Poor people in Europe are very fond of this blood ; as food they deem 

 it a luxury. It is not true that the cattle are bled for that purpose, 

 but to improve their condition. 



Mr. Bowman. — I dusted a measured acre on my farm with fine 

 charcoal made of maple wood. A severe drought occured. I found 

 that the grass on that acre flourished, the grass on the adjoining fields 

 was burned up. I supposed that the charcoal attracted moisture, con- 

 densed the ammonia, preserving it for the use of the grass. Next year 

 I ploughed that acre well, and there being some Canada thistles on it, 

 I sowed a bushel of ground salt broad cast, and most of the thistles 

 were killed by it. I then put in barley, first dusting the ground again 

 with fine charcoal ; after that I sowed on it timothy^ and had fine crops 

 of both of them, the timothy giving me nearly three tons to the acre. 

 I would cover a field six inches deep with straw and burn it, then 

 plough well. Many prairie farmers have cattle fatted on the native 

 grass, when it springs fresh after the burning of the former crop ; the 

 beef of those cattle is particularly fine, juicy, delicious, ike fat is vever 

 tailovyy. There is none of that strong oily taste so often found in beef 

 fat. I do not like mutton ; but in Wisconsin, where the sheep feed on 

 the p^irie grass, I ate mutton every day for a long time, it was so 

 swe^i. The lower stems of the grass, some of it being charred by the 

 fire and the grass chiefly burned to ashes, attract ammonia, fix it, and 

 then supply it to the young grass. The beef of the Virginia wild fed 

 cattle is sweet. 



Mr. Carter. — I am pleased with the remarks of Mr. Bowman, on 

 the prairie grass. Cattle do not like that grass when it is grown up tall, 

 bat they love it when it is kept down. When the tall grass is made into 



