Experiments in Fattening Cattle. 



121 



acre. After the value of the artificial food is deducted, each lot 

 of cattle leaves for the swedes consumed as follows, viz. : — 



£. s. d. 



Box feedins: sives a return of A^d. per ewt. . 11 17 6 per acre. 



Stall „ ^ ^ „ Aid. „ . 10 12 6 „ 



Shed „ „ 3fd „ . 9 7 6,, 



Where litter is abundant, box-feeding proves itself the most remu- 

 nerative of the three plans, and shed-feeding greatly the least — so 

 very inferior is the result in the last case that a persistence in the 

 practice would be absurd, and it is only as between the first two 

 that a comparison need be drawn. Each stall-fed animal uses 

 about 1 ton of straw for litter during the six months of feeding, while 

 each box-fed animal requires nearly 3 tons. In a dry climate, 

 Avith a soil suited to sheep-feeding, where two-thirds of the tur- 

 nips may be consumed on the ground and one-third drawn home 

 for cattle, box-feeding w ill probably be found in every respect the 

 most advantageous system : where only one-third of the green-crop 

 is to be fed by cattle there will generally be a sufficient supply of 

 straw to furnish the requisite supply for the cattle-boxes ; but if 

 either the climate or the soil is adverse to sheep on turnips, and 

 if the whole green-crop must be consumed by cattle, box-feeding 

 with such a supply of litter would be impossible, and stall-feeding 

 therefore indispensable. And where straw is valued as an article 

 of food, the 2 tons saved on each animal by the system of stall- 

 feeding gives it a manifest superiority over the loose boxes. 



Table III. 



This experiment was undertaken to test the comparative ad- 

 vantage of storing swedes previous to winter, or of using them 

 fresh from the field as required. 



Particulars of Food and Management. 



Lot 1 . Each animal received 111 lbs. swede turnips per day in 

 3 feeds, and 4 lbs. bean meal daily along with the midday feed, 

 for 69 days ; and for the remaining 45 days each animal consumed 

 50 lbs. of swedes per day in 2 feeds, and a cooked feed at midday 

 consisting of 3 lbs. cut straw boiled along with 4 lbs. bean meal. 

 Each animal consumed 4^ lbs. straw per day for fodder, three- 

 quarters oat and one-quarter wheat straw. 



Lot 2. Fed in every way the same, but on turnips previously 

 stored. 



Both lots were offered more turnips at various times, but they 

 would not eat them. 



The cattle were all Galloway bullocks, 2t years old when put 

 up to feed, of about equal size and quality. 



