2IO 



Economic Fattening of Cattle. 



return ; in most cases basic slag gave — at much less cost — 

 the results generally attributed to lime. 



Farmyard manure yielded the best results on thin soils, 

 like that of the chalk down-land at Lockinge, near Wantage ; 

 it evidently supplies the organic matter which it is so neces- 

 sary to accumulate on the surface of such a soil before it makes 

 a good pasture. This manure also proved useful at the other 

 centres, but not so economical as a judicious application of 

 artificial manures. When farmyard manure is applied to a 

 pasture, it is probably advisable to accompany it with a 

 dressing of phosphate manure (and potash manure, if neces- 

 sary), as thereby the tendency of the farmyard manure to 

 produce a somewhat coarse herbage will be to a large extent 

 counteracted. 



It appears from the results of these experiments that phos- 

 phatic and potash manures are best applied to hay or pasture 

 land in the previous autumn or early winter, and that it is 

 highly advantageous to thoroughly harrow the soil at the 

 time of the application of these manures, especially where 

 the herbage is rather rough. This harrowing enables the 

 manures to become effective more quickly, and at the same 

 time promotes the growth of finer herbage by removing the 

 coarse fogg, which is apt to accumulate on the surface of 

 most pastures. 



The Economic Fattening of Cattle. 



An experiment has been carried out on the farm of the 

 University College of North Wales, Bangor, to determine the 

 amount of concentrated food necessary for fattening cattle for 

 the butcher, with the object of making a profit. For this 

 purpose two lots of Welsh bullocks, four in each lot, two and 

 a half years old, similar in appearance and character, were 

 selected. Two from each lot had been grazed on the farm 

 during the summer, and the remaining four were purchased 

 from a farm in Denbighshire a few weeks before the experi- 

 ment commenced. They were all running out at grass until 

 the end of October, when they were put into boxes and fed 



