









Dec. 8, 1855.] 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



KEPORT UPON THE FATTENING OF CATTLE, 



KILRUSH FARM, HOLLYMOUXT, October 24th, 1855. 



I now enclose an account of the trials which I made 

 last season in the feeding of cattle. You will, I think, 

 find them interesting, and confirmatory of what you 

 bare long advocated— the superiority of a mixed de- 

 scription of food, cooked along with cut straw. The 

 result of the different kinds of feeding was quite appa- 

 rent, those on raw Turnips alone having always a hard 

 look and not exhibiting any great improvement. Those 

 getting the "raw cake" had a better appearance, and when 

 you handled them the n eat was found to be well put on. 

 Those getting the "cooked cake " had always a firm but 

 mellow appearance, the meat, however, handling some- 

 what softer* while those fed on part cake and part 



811 



No. 



Descriptiou of food. 



1 



2 



2. Cattle fed on Turnips only—12 stone 

 each per day. 



Barley meal cooked, had the same mellow appearance, 

 but handled very firm, and manifested good mixture of 

 fat and lean. The cattle were all fed in loose boxes, 

 two and two in each. They had always an unlimited 

 supply of uncut straw, so that I do not charge any thin 

 for the cut straw which those had that were getting the 

 cooked food. The oilcake is charged at 111. per ton 

 and the Barley at 81. per do., the prices of both last 

 year. The expenses are deducted from the "selling 

 price," such as charge for attendance, sending to market 

 and selling, so that the net return is given. You may 

 make what use you please of this. I can certify to its 

 being correct, as I made the experiments under mv 

 own superintendence, weighing the materials or food 

 for my own information and satisfaction. The following 

 is the table of experiments referred to : 



Weight 



in cwts., 

 qrs., lbs. 



P 





2. Cattle fed on 8 stone of Turnips each 

 per day, and 5 lbs. raw oilcake each, do. 



3 



2. Cattle fed on 8 stones of Turnips each 

 per day, and 5 lbs. cooked oilcake 

 and cut straw each per day, do. 



QJ °- 



■3 * 



Weight 



in cwts., 

 qrs., lbs. 



Net return of I 

 sale, deduct- 1 



ing expenses 

 except arti- 

 ficial food. 



2 



1855. 



July 

 price 



Cost of 



artificial 

 food. 



4 



i 



2. Cattle fed on 8 stones of Turnips each 

 per day, and 4 lbs. oilcake and 2 lb 

 Barleymeal each per day, all cooked, 

 and cut straw. 



3 14 



May 1. 27 



do. 25 2 



£ s. d. 

 43 5 10 



2 14 do. 



1 14 



27 



£ s.d. 

 30 



Wei * lit of 

 Turnips 



consumed. 



44 5 4 



28 



none. 



tons. 

 20 



c. qrs 

 5 





Leaving 

 for 



Turnips 



con- 

 sumed. 



Per cwt. 

 •8d. 



6 12 



do. 



31 14 



46 5 



29 



59 



34 



7 2 



13 fO 



!8R 



13 10 



i9«f. 



7 16 13 10 gl5±d. 



This Sd. is a fraction above the net rate per cwt. t 8Jd. is also a fraction above the exact rate. 



i ine sum of 5s, for each beast is deducted from the net sale price for expense of fuel and cooking, but nothing for straw. 

 w ne , same . deductl0n for cooking is made for each beast in this lot. 

 JNo deduction or charge is i; le for straw, as it is fully compensated in the good manure made from the cooked food system. 



In every instance the cost of the artificial food is 

 deducted, thus : — 



No. 4, net return £59 



July price £34 



Cost of artificial food 7 16 



41 16 



• • • 



£17 4 



This sum, 17Z. 4^., goes to pay for the Turnips which 

 those two cattle consumed, viz., 13 tons, 10 cwt., leaving 

 \b\d. per cwt. as shown by the table sent. I5£d per 

 cwt. is 155. 5d. a ton, so that if you take 20 tons per 

 statute acre as an average crop in this county on the 

 well managed farms, you have for the payment of that 

 crop 15/. 85. id. I do not mean to say that this sum 

 can be always made, but I fearlessly state this, that you 

 may easily, by judicious management, and by using the 

 description of food which No. 4 lot was fed on, bring 

 cattle to pay double what they would do if fed on the 

 old system, viz., from 12 to 14 stone of Turnips per 

 day, or from 10 to 12 stone, with an allowance of 5 or 

 6 lbs. of raw cake, Francis Lawrie, in the Journal of 

 the Agricultural Improvement Society of Ireland. 



FARM NEAR CHELMSFORD. 



The completion of harvest, with the succeeding pre- 

 paration of the land for future crops, has progressed 

 satisfactorily since our last report, and the appearance 

 of the early Broad-leaf Rye is luxuriant in the extreme. 

 This crop invariably succeeds well if a fine tilth can 

 be procured, and dry weather attends the preparation 

 of the land and depositing the seed ; 2 bushels of seed 

 per acre is amply sufficient, provided it is of home pro- 

 duction, and growth of the last harvest ; the rubbish 

 sold as new Rye will frequently not more than half 

 vegetate, and care should be taken to first submit it to 

 trial before risking the plant. The common imported 

 varieties are also not adapted for feeding, and ought to 

 be rejected if the new varieties can be obtained, which 

 we not only earlier by 14 days, but also produce a 

 much larger quantity for mowing or feeding. 



Upon this farm we generally commence mowing it 

 py the middle of the month of April ; a small quantity 

 in the first instance being cut up with Oat straw into 

 chaff, increasing the quantity weekly until the Rye 

 alone is cut, and which it may be with advantage to the 

 1st of June, or until it is fully eared out ; we 

 Jjnd our horses are maintained in condition by it 

 better than by any other green crop except 

 lucerne or Broad. leaf Clover, Our annual con- 

 option by this mode is about 20 acres, most of 

 Jhich is mown, and as it is taken off, the land is imme- 

 diately ploughed and sown with Turnips, which generally 

 ^cceed well afterwards. 



Tares have also planted well ; with a portion designed 

 tor early use Rye is sown at the rate of 1 bushel per 

 ^re, and 8 or 10 pecks of Tares afterwards drilled; 

 *!mi those for later use, winter or black Oats and 

 tailing Wheat is sown, and the Tares drilled as with 

 J* e Rye. Unless supporting plants are sown with 

 lares pretty thickly, they become borne down by rain, 

 .^the major portion become rotted and useless for 

 deeding purposes, 

 th , are J U8t concluding our Wheat sowing, and from 



e rain falling profusely at the commencement of the 

 •*•* month the land became saturated to such an extent 

 d'ffc l - enc * er it a task at first of more than ordinary 



on l!* r * V to " et m tlie Bee( '» e8 P ec i a Ny u P on those lands 

 which Mangel Wurzel had been grown previously. 



pon the whole, however, the work has been satisfac- 



for th Com P* eteci > anc * no f ear whatever is entertained 

 the safety of the plant, which is now fast appearing. 



*he crop of Mangel Wurzel is very fine, and the 



quality excellent. Of all the new varieties the Long 

 Orange stands pre-eminent ; it produces the greatest 

 weight, has less tap root, and is more easily convertible 

 than the Globe; we estimate our crop of 30 acres at 

 about 30 tons per acre. This will give 1800 weeks' 

 keep for an ox of 100 imperial stones, or for 100 oxen 

 for 16 weeks each, and if properly combined with cut 

 Oat straw chaff may be used immediately after removal 

 from the field ; and the leaves are also available 

 by stripping them early as required. From the 

 middle of October to the end of November they have 

 formed the chief supply for 30 cows, cut up with Oat 

 straw, and the cows have thriven well, and have eaten 

 them with avidity. We are now pursuing the same 

 course with the leaves of Swede Turnips, white Tur- 

 nips, and cattle Drum -head Cabbages mixed as before, 

 with a small quantity of grains added daily. Most of 

 these items of food were until lately wasted, but now 

 they supply the food of the milking and young stock of 

 this farm up to Christmas or later, as frost may prevail, 

 enabling us to keep the roots untouched for such purposes. 



We have lately been threshing Wheat by the assist- 

 ance of a hired locomotive steam engine, but we do not ur g in g several objections to my plan of circular tillage, 

 find bv PYnftriPiiPfi that, it rnn Ha »ffo7»tP<l «n phpunlv «c ! ah 1 of which I shall have occasion to notice. In the 



the stall feeding of cattle. 



The question was whether 

 straw could he substituted for hy in feeding cattle. I 

 am well aware of the prejudices existing amongst 

 English farmers in this respect, for the all but universal 

 belief among them is that hay is indispensable, aud that 

 straw is next to being useless. But with a si rt crop of 

 hay in many cases very indifferently cured, with the con- 

 sequent present high price of the article, and the cer- 

 tainty of an increased value of not less than 50 per 

 cent, before Lady-day, it is a matter of great moment to 

 know whether the use of hay cannot be economised, 

 or something else substituted for it altogether. 

 The Central Farmers' Club comprehends among its 

 members gentlemen whose names we have always been 

 accustomed to associate with the literature >l agricul- 

 culture, and with the most enlightened practical and 

 scientific knowledge of the art ; and it was therefore 

 with much surprise that I found no reference whatever 

 made by them to a collection of standard practical 

 knowledge, from which they would have derived much 

 valuable information regarding the subject which they 

 had chosen for discussion. The work I mean is the 

 11 Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural Society 

 of Scotland." H any of them had taken the trouble to 

 refer to this — certainly no obscure publication — 

 it would have been found that in the details of ati 

 the feeding experiments and reports, Turnips and 

 Oat straw are taken as the basis, as farm-yard manure 

 is taken in comparative trials-of manures, and that 

 Turnips and hay will be found ranked in the list of 

 other feeding stuffs which are reported upon. The 

 reason of this arises from the fact that fresh Oat straw 

 is the regular fodder used by Scotch feeders in preparing 

 their cattle for the butcher ; and if the members of the 

 Centraf Club would only look at the magnificent oxen 

 sent to the London market from Aberdeen and other 

 ports on the east of Scotland, they would have ample 

 evidence that straw could be substituted for hay in 

 feeding cattle with creat propriety, and no little economy 

 to themselves. In Scotland natural meadows are 

 rare and do not form any regular part of farm 

 management, as is the case in England ; the staple hay 

 which is made being that produced by the artificial 

 Grasses. This is reserved, 1 may say, entirely for the 

 horses. The general use of straw in Scotland does not 

 arise from the quasi argument once used by a person 

 with whom I was talking over the same subject, namely 

 that straw was employed because there was nothing else 

 to give to the cattle. Such an observation could only 

 arise from conceited ignorance of the subject. The 

 Scotch farmers feed cheaper than their English brethren, 

 whilst it is an undeniable fact that they come into the 

 English markets with their fat cattle, and command the 

 highest price. This should be carefully noted by the 

 members of the Central Club, and by all interested in 

 the question who have read the discussion. Scotus t 



Worcestershire. 



Steam Cultivation* — In the Agrictdtural Gazette, 

 November 24th, there is a letter from " Y. F. W.. ?> 



meantime I should like to know by what method of 

 calculation he makes out there are 7*16 perches lost in 

 the triangular bit of land, arising from the conjunction 



find by experience that it can be effected so cheaply as 

 many writers have asserted, viz., \Qd. to Is. per quarter. 

 We find that the attendant labour amounts to nearly 



double that sum; in one case, with the cost of the o - © j 



machine at Is. per quarter, it amounts altogether to of 3 circ,e9 of M feet radius. My experience in the field 



3 5 . per quarter upon mown Wheat and 2s. 6 J. upon ^^*^P I 25: £? "^l* *£ t r, e . I ? achi ° e, „^!! rly 



reaped; 16 hands altogether are required, and the use " " A " 



of one horse continuously, and man to supply water and 



fuel. The consumption of coal is considerable — upwards 



of a ton in three days, and the cost quite as much per 



quarter as by horse-power, charging the horses at As. 



per day each. "" ' ,,rt * 



engines, but with a locomotive engine a uays worR is 



more or less consumed with five horses in removing it 



to its next station. As regards convenience at this 



The case may be different with fixed 

 i a locomotive engine a day's work is 



season, we admit it to be vastly superior to horse-power 

 inasmuch as it spares them for the other requirements 

 of the farm. 



Our Swede Turnips are very indifferent this season ; 

 the white and green common Turnips are good, and are 

 perhaps an exception in this district. We are now feed- 

 ing the former with southdown wethers and half a pound 



of cake each. 



The yield of our Wheat crop is good ; the crops were 

 not beaten down to any great extent, and the quality is 

 also excellent, averasjiug from 61 to 63 lbs. per bushel. 



The yield of Barley and Oats is also large, but the 

 former is deficient in quality ; our selling prices, how- 

 ever, are satisfactory, from 38s. to 43s. per quarter. 

 Beans we have none, and Peas are a slight crop. 

 The hay crop was unusually small ; but the second 

 math of Clover to a considerable extent has compen- 

 sated the deficiency ; it is, however, selling at from 51. 

 to 61. a ton, a price too high to admit of i;s being used 

 with profit for any description of stock. 



The high price of oil-cake deters us from using it in 

 great quantity ; 3 lbs. per head, with 4 lbs. of meal 

 made from tailing Barley and Linseed, at the rate of 

 1 bushel to seven of Barley, is the maximum of this 

 year's allowance to each bullock per day. They, how- 

 ever, are progressing well. We believe that a large 

 portion of the cake is wasted whenever cattle are fed too 

 bountifully upon it. 



Home Correspondence. 



The late Discussion in the London or Central Farmers' 

 Club on Stall Feeding.— I have r*ad with me degree 

 of interest mingled with surprise the report of the late 

 discussion in the London or Central Farmers' Club, on 



m London. 

 The Turnip Fly or Flea. — There have lately been 

 several communications in your Paper with respect to 

 the modes of destroying this terrible insect* None of 

 your correspondents, however, have said anything of a 

 very common method in use in the Weald of Sussex, 

 which particularly abounds with them, to the great 

 annoyance of all Turnip growers ; and this year they 

 have been so numerous as to cause an almost total 

 destruction of the Swede crop, many having none after 

 four or hve sowings. I had myself a beautiful plant 

 over nine acres in the early part of June last, and 

 having stood the attacks of the numberless flies during 

 a week of very hot weather, they at last became in such 

 a state that about three more days would have been 

 fatal to them. Being naturally anxious to save them if 

 possible, I inquired of various people at market how to 

 rid them of their enemies ; a good many nearly impossi- 

 ble recommendations were given, but an old-fashioned 

 farmer strongly advised having them rolled with a one- 

 horse roller very early in the morning while the dew 

 was upon them. Willing to try so simple a plan, 

 orders were given for a man to go out the next morning 

 between two and three o'clock and roll them all before 

 coming home, which was done and finished about nine 

 o'clock. I must confess 1 had no great faith in its 

 success. The day, like the preceding: ones, was intoler- 

 ably hot and very sunny ; about twelve I walked across 

 the field expecting to see my enemies as usual, but was 

 completely astonished to find that they had all disap- 

 peared, for I minutely examined the plants but found 

 only one or two, and after that day they were troubled no 

 more. The weather remained dry and hot for some 

 time after, but the Swedes grew and are now a very good 

 crop considering the dry summer we have had. I should 

 mention that the field was in excellent tilth all over, and 

 the only way in which I can account for the tfficacy of the 

 rolling is, that the flies at that early time were secreted 

 under the small clods of earth, and when they were 

 nrpssfid down by the roller they were of course unable 



the land was drilled 27 inches apart and |a 



„^._ j gi yen after, to cover the seed. Some 



imagine that the earth adhering to the roller (being 

 d*wv\ makes the nlants dust v. and that thev are then 



to get out 



