364 



On increasing our Supplies of Animal Food. 



standard of quality which this question indicates. With poor 

 stock I have used linseed with profit. A thin linseed soup poured 

 over straw chaff will confer a savoury taste, even though it be 

 so diluted as to leave the food thus prepared of less nutritive 

 strength than the ordinary green food of the farm ; and there is 

 perhaps no better door open to an increased produce of meat for 

 the country at large than means such as this afford of inducing 

 the larger consumption of what is now trodden under foot. A 

 salt, hot, and weak linseed soup thrown over straw chaff, while 

 conferring its own flavour, brings out that of the straw, which is 

 thus far more readily consumed than the mere addition of oil-cake 

 is likely to make it. This fact is submitted to those who are in the 

 habit of using such large quantities of oil-cake as cattle food. We 

 have kept oxen through winter in a rapidly improving condi- 

 tion* on turnip-tops at the commencement, and half a cwt. of 

 turnips daily a-piece afterwards, along with an ad lib. allowance of 

 straw chaff, over which about half a pailful of salt water, for each 

 beast, containing 1 lb. of linseed meal boiled in it, had been thrown. 



Of course a more intensive system of feeding is profitable in 

 the case of well-bred animals. Many instances of this are scat- 

 tered about in agricultural publications, but they illustrate the 

 possibility rather than prove the truth of our statement. They 

 are not numerous enough, nor various enough, to show that the 

 average experience of farmers bears us out ; but I may specify 

 one or two cases as illustrations, and for the rest appeal to the 

 common impression which has arisen, however carelessly, out of 

 experience, to corroborate the assertion that high feeding, by its 

 greater produce of valuable manure, is profitable to the farmer ; 

 and in the case of well-bred animals, by its greater produce of 

 meat, is profitable even to the feeder. The following is a bit of 

 our own experience during the past winter : — Four good Here- 

 ford oxen were bought towards the end of October for 60Z. at a 

 dear market, and sold again in thirteen weeks at 6d. per lb., for 

 771. These four oxen, in thirteen weeks, gained 17/., or 26s. per 

 week, or 6s. 6d. per ox per week. They consumed during that 

 time 18 tons of mangold wurzel, 30 bushels of beans, and 4 cwt. 

 of linseed meal, for which, besides the manure, we have thus ob- 

 tained the following prices : — 



4 cwt. linseed, or more than'l lb. daily per ox, at lis. . £2 4 

 30 bush, beans, or nearly 51b. daily per ox, at 4s. 6d. . 6 15 

 18 tons of mangold wurzel, or 1 cwt. daily per ox, at 9s. 8 2 



£17 1 



* At a cost of for turnips (at 10s. a ton) 3d. daily 

 „ „ linseed . . Id. „ 



4d. a-day 



Or 2s. id. a-week, beside fuel, attendance, and straw. 



