462 
On Weighing Live-Stoch. 
He proceeded on the spot to give his reasons for non-agree- 
ment, among others that there are so many subtle influences 
affecting the proportion of offal that the case is not quite as 
an advocate of weighing supposes. The speaker supported his 
arguments by quoting the results of a sale by auction at which 
the weights were declared. His reply to Mr. Westley Richards, 
if not complete and convincing, was a fair and reasonable one. 
But discussion and conflict of opinion did not stop here. It 
so happened that the experiments conducted by the Eoyal 
Agricultural Society of England at Woburn furnished an oppor- 
tunity of great practical value at that time for forming a com- 
parison between the judgment of five experienced feeders of 
cattle and the statical authority of the scales. Dr. Voelcker, 
having charge of the feeding experiments at Woburn, invited 
these five gentlemen to estimate the carcass-weight of eight of 
the experimental beasts he was about to weigh. It should not 
be forgotten that the amount and character of the food con- 
sumed, the period of fattening, and the treatment of these 
animals down to the nicest details were furnished to the guessers. 
There seems to have been nothing wanting to render the guesses 
oracular except the gift of divination. That this certainly was 
not vouchsafed will be gathered from Table E on p. 4G3. 
Furthermore, in Scotland an experiment of precisely the 
same nature has been conducted under the supervision of Mr. 
McJannet of Woodlands Stirling, a convert to the weighing- 
machine. On February 5, 1889, after exhibiting four of his 
animals to his invited friends, he informed them of how they had 
been summered and wintered in Midlothian, the method of feed- 
ing, and the allowance and nature of the food given. He then 
asked the company to imagine themselves in an auction mart, 
and after each bullock was driven round and handled by them, 
he said he would be glad if his practical and experienced 
friends would declare on slips of paper the prices they would 
bring in the sale ring. Nine out of about thirty entered the 
lists against the machine on the weights of which Mr. McJannet 
computed his own estimates. 
The four oxen afterwards went to Messrs. Swan of Edinburgh, 
where the live-weights were announced in the usual way, and they 
were sold by auction with the result shown in Table F on p. 464. 
Justice in the Court-house is depicted with a bandage over 
her eyes and just scales in her hand. The lesson thus taught 
is not to trust to conjecture and supposition when the balance 
is at hand to reveal facts, and by facts, without partiality or 
favour, to come to a decision. The quidnuncs of the cattle- 
market have no objection to open eyes, but regard the scales as 
put of plage. 
