On increasing our Supplies of Animal Food. 



377 



Another return, between which and the above there is some 

 unexplained incongruity, states that there were imported in the 

 years — 







1842. 



1843. 



1844. 



1845. 







Catttle . . . 



4,264 



1,521 



4,889 



16,870 







Sheep . 



644 



217 



2,817 



15,958 







Swine . 



410 



361 



265 



1,598 





These numbers show that there is a source in operation of 

 unknown productiveness, from which we may continue to draw 

 our supplies of lean stock for many years to come, with what 

 profit to ourselves the quality of the animals thus obtained to feed 

 will determine. 



B. But let us now inquire in what degree it is profitable, or 

 even possible, to breed our own stock? That, other things being 

 equal, it is advisable to breed one's own stock is apparent from 

 the fact that then the feeder knows the stock he is fattening, and 

 can treat them, as regards quality of food, according as his expe- 

 rience of them has shown to be profitable ; and that it is possible 

 the experience of Berwickshire farmers proves.* There the 

 farmer purchases every few years a good bull, keeps a stock of 

 perhaps a dozen cows, and rears, it may be, from 30 to 36 calves ; 

 his cottagers, having cows which are covered by his bull, sell him 

 their calves, which are reared along with those of his own cows. 

 One cow thus brings up 2J to 3 calves ; and the cattle thus 

 reared are sold at little beyond two years old, often as heavy as 

 upwards of 7 cwt. a piece. It may be well to state the mode of 

 management somewhat more in detail. The calves are made to 

 drop at various times between the 1st of February and the 1st of 

 April. As soon as dropped the calf is removed from its dam, 

 rubbed dry, fed liberally on new milk thrice a day for a fortnight, 

 then tempted to eat Swedish turnips and oilcake, giving the same 

 quantity of liquid as usual, but now not new milk alone, but 

 gradually more and more diluted with water, and containing 

 perhaps a little oatmeal porridge. The cows all this time receive 

 globe-turnips (but we English farmers cannot grow turnips of 

 such quality as they can in the North), as being more productive 

 of milk than the Swedish. When the calves are from 4 to 6 

 weeks old they are moved from cribs to a house, several together ; 

 and as soon as the yards are empty, to the best and warmest of 



* The statements regarding Berwickshire experience in this respect are adopted from 

 the paper on that subject in the Highland Society's Transactions, 1841, by Mr. Wilson, 

 ot' Edington Mains, Ayton, Berwickshire. 



