The Agriculture of Pemhrohesliii'e. 
95 
In the rearing of calves it is too much the practice to keep 
more than there is skim-milk for, and to turn them out too 
soon, the result heing a struggle for existence ; not an easy 
walk into maturity, which is the course that produces the most 
profitable animal. If those who wish to rear a large number 
in proportion to the milk supply would give the calves more 
additional food, like linseed-tea and the cake made from this 
seed, the result would be better. Then, again, they should not 
be turned out until there is food for them, and the weather 
suitable. One gentleman of considerable experience, who rears 
some of the best cattle in the county, tells me that his early 
calves — some of which are born before Christmas — seldom go 
out before June, and he is careful not to turn out the late ones 
during the very hot weather. With respect to the older cattle, 
there is ample room for an increased use of feeding-stuffs, like 
linseed- and cotton-seed cakes. In all, this would mean better 
condition, and an increased value of manure ; and in the milch 
cow and ewe, an increase in the quantity as well as an 
improvement in the quality of the milk. 
The same remarks will apply to the sheep, as they would be 
much benefitted by the use of more of these cakes. It is 
generally thought that because the farmer has his oats and 
barley at hand, it is more profitable for him to feed his cattle 
and sheep on these than to sell them and purchase the cakes 
mentioned. A few figures from Sir J. B. Lawes may cause a 
reconsideration of this custom, therefore I venture to mention 
it and cite an example. 
If we take oats as worth Is. Qd. a bushel, a ton would come 
to about 4/. Gs. ; barley at 2s. Gd. per bushel would come to, say 
5Z. per ton ; decorticated cotton-seed cake would cost, say 8/. at 
the extreme local price. The value of the cake as a food would 
be about double that of either the oats or barley, consequently 
we gain a profitable balance in value over the barley at once. 
But the great difference is seen when the increase in the 
value of the manure of the animals is considered ; the estimated 
A'alue of manure from the consumption of a ton of the cake 
being 51. 13s. ; from a ton of oats, 1/. 10s. ; and from a ton of 
barley, 1/. 6s. This supplies a considerable amount of food to 
reflect on, and I am inclined to think that those who have seen 
the results on the pastures of this county, where decorticated 
cotton-seed cake has been much used, will acknowledge its 
superiority. Oats and barley have their place no doubt, and 
my object is not to exclude them, but to suggest the advisability 
of substituting cotton-cake where suitable ; also to point out 
that this can be profitably done even at the present low 
prices. 
