STALL-FEEDING. 



labour than that of throwing turnips abroad, which, it is 

 thought, is the preferable management, if the foil be fufR- 

 ciently dry to fupport the (lock, and light enough to Hand 

 in need of being rendered firm by treading ; on the con- 

 trary, where the land is deep, and the feafon is wet or fevere, 

 the (traw-yard is the more comfortable place, provided it 

 be kept dry and well littered, and be furnifhed with open 

 fheds, in which the ilock can (helter themfelves. For 

 though the teaihe of fattening cattle abroad is greatly bene- 

 ficial to light foils ; yet, if bullocks, while fed in the yard 

 with turnips, are well littered, they will make a large 

 quantity of excellent manure, that will amply compenfate 

 for the additional labour occafioned in that way. 



A Hill farther method confifts in keeping the cattle tied 

 up in italls, hovels, or beneath open flieds, with mangers 

 or troughs for receiving the turnips, which, in this cafe, 

 are frequently fliced, or more generally, though perhaps 

 lefs eligibly, cut into quarters, by means of a fmall chopper, 

 upon a narrow board or Itool, beneath which is a bafliet for 

 catching the pieces. 



It has, however, been fuppofed that turnips, though 

 very frequently employed in the procefs of it all- feeding, are 

 greatly inferior to cabbages, as, befides their being more 

 liable to injury, they probably pofiefs the fattening pro- 

 perty in a lefs degree than any of the fubftances that have 

 been noticed above. And the proportion in which they 

 are conlumed by the fattening ftock has been found to be 

 fomething more than a third of the weight of the cattle, by 

 fome ; but by others, about a third in the day, as ftated in 

 the Gentleman Farmer. However, in other experiments, 

 carefully made, an ox of from feventy to eighty ftone has 

 been afcertained to eat fomething lefs than three hundred 

 weight in the courfe of the day, befides chaff and hay ; and 

 fmall cows of about thirty ftone, one hundred weight and 

 three quarters in the fame fpace of time. And in the Rev. 

 Mr. Clofe's trials, it was found, that when confumed in 

 flails or (beds, an acre of good turnips will completely 

 veinter-fat an ox of fifty fcore, befides affording manure for 

 an acre and a half of land ; but if fed upon the land, two 

 acres will not fatten one fo well, and the dreffing will be 

 partial, and of but little value. When this root is given in 

 the ftall, from its very fucculent nature, it becomes necef- 

 fary to employ as much dry food as poflible during the ufe 

 ©f it, in order to the expeditious fattening of cattle by 

 fuch means. 



It has alfo been praftically remarked by a late writer, 

 that the turnip is often employed in the fattening of fhecp, 

 fomewhat in this way ; and that in this application it is fre- 

 quently advantageous, where the management is conduftcd 

 with judgment. But to derive the greatell profit from this 

 praftice, it is probably the beil method to only make ufe of 

 them for fuch fheep as are in a confiderable ftate of for- 

 wardnefs ; as fuch as are poor, when turned to this fort of 

 food, are leldom found to pay well for it. Every farmer 

 who has applied turnip crops in this way, mull, it is faid, 

 have found this to be the cafe. Where the foils are fuffi- 

 ciently dry, the bell method of confuming them may be on 

 the lands, by means of hurdling ; but under the contrary 

 circumilanccs, they may be drawn and eaten upon a dry 

 piece of fward. 



Turnips, as well as potatoes, have been fteamed for this 

 purpofe. See Steaming nf Cattle-Food. 



As to the uie of brewers' grains, they can only be had 

 recourfe to in this way in particular fituations, as near large 

 towns, or other places where they can be had at a reafon- 

 able rate, and in fuf&cient quantity ; and of this fort of 



food, that which is the produce of large dillilleries is found 

 the moft beneficial in this fort of feeding. The quantity 

 made ufe of for moderate fized beafts is ufually from a 

 bulhel to a bufliel and a half, three times in the courfe of 

 the day ; hay or cut dry food being given between the 

 periods of feeding with thefe matters. But this fort of 

 fubftance feems to be much lefs powerful in its fattening 

 properties, than any of thoie articles that have been men- 

 tioned above. Still, with good hay, it is probable that 

 thefe matters may be made to fatten animals in a tolerably 

 expeditious manner. 



But befides thefe different fubftances, there are others of 

 a lefs fucculent quality employed in this praftice : the firft, 

 perhaps, in refpeft to the properties of feedng, is that of 

 oil-cake, that is, the refufe material left after exprefTing the 

 oil from linfeed. See 0\\.-Cahe. 



It is afl'erted that thefe cakes have a very extraordinary 

 effeft on cows bcforq calving, caufing their milk to flow 

 more copioufly, and preparing the animal in a good manner 

 for the period of calving. But as the fat of bealls, fattened 

 on oil-cake, is not fuppofed by fome fo good for food, and 

 to be of a lefs firm texture, it has been advifed to fubllitute 

 linfeed jelly, which is infinitely fuperior, and which, when 

 mixed with a due proportion of hay or meal, affords an ex- 

 cellent compofition for ftall-feeding and fattening. This 

 jelly is prepared in the following manner : to feven parts of 

 water one part of linfeed is only put, for 48 hours ; then 

 boil it flowly for two hours, gently ftirring the whole, left 

 it (hould burn ; afterwards it ihould be cooled, and mixed 

 with meal, bran, or cut chaff. In the experiment of Mr. 

 Moody, an eminent grazier, two quarts of this jelly were 

 ufed per day to every large bullock, which proportion 

 amounts to little more than one quart of feed in four days, 

 and produced a great faving in the article of food in this 

 procefs. And in America, experiments have been made 

 with I'lnfced-otl, mixed with the meal of Indian corn. The 

 ftall-fed llcer, to which this compofition was given, was ob- 

 ferved to thrive rapidly, and to fweat moft profufely ; but, 

 through inattention, too large a proportion of oil was given 

 at one time with the food, which difgufted the bead, and 

 occafioned the experiment to be difcontinued. There can, 

 however, be no doubt but that linfeed or flax-feed jelly is 

 more agreeable to cattle than cake, while it renders them 

 lefs liable to furfeit, in cafe an extra quantity fhould be ac- 

 cidentally given ; and is lefs liable to affeft the meat with a 

 peculiar talte than either oil or cake, and confcquently it 

 merits a further trial. To each bullock, or fattening ani- 

 mal, about half a gallon of jelly may be given every day, 

 mixed with meal and cut ftraw ; but it will be rcqnifite to 

 change this food about a month before the bcaft is killed, to 

 prevent, if pofTiblc, the flefti from retaining the fl.ivour of 

 the oil-cake or jelly, as they, each of them, may be liable 

 to afTeft it in fome mcafure. 



Further, where fheep are fattened with oil-cake, they 

 require it to be brought into a much finer ftate than for 

 cattle in general, and which may then be mixed with bran, 

 or other fimilar fubftances, and put in the troughs or cribs 

 for the animals to feed at. 



Alfo, on the fame principle as that of oil-cake, the ufe of 

 linfced-oil and bran has been attempted, but probably with 

 lefs fucceis in the application. The confumption in this 

 mode, for beafts of the fmaller fize, is fomething more than 

 half a peck of bran three times in the day, witli a third of a 

 pint of linfecd-oil well ilirrod into it: with this, good hay 

 or cut chaff is ufnally given. But it is a mode attended 

 with more trouble than that of cake-feeding, without any 



great 



