Practical Experiences in the Preparation of Food for Stock. 465 
[_For Schedule of Questions, see paf/e 4-18.] 
Mr. Hunter Prixgle — continued. 
6. As hay is a severe crop on our poor light lands, I do not make much. 
I always have a little, but the acreage under hay is the lowest possible. I 
cbafF it all. My work horses are allowed some during times of extra hard 
work ; at other times they get only oat straw. I may say that on this farm 
four horses, each pair working a double furrow plough, have to plough, seed, 
and work 60 acres of land for roots and 125 for corn. The work is always 
well done, and the horses are always fat and fresh. 
7. In my opinion, and from my experience, I am led to conclude that 
the advantage to be gained from chalting is only felt when the pulping of 
roots and the mixing of stock food is also carried out. Stock, i.e. store 
cattle, fed on straw of sound quality, do equally well on long straw, but 
they pull out and waste a great deal, and they select the best and decline 
the worst. Chaffing prevents this, of course, but mixing is the great means 
of having everything eaten up. 
8. Ensilage, cut straw, pulped potatoes, pulped roots (turnips, swedes, 
and mangolds). Always given mixed, and the mixture always of the same 
age. 1 never allow any variation in the length of time the food lies in 
heap. During autumn I allow the mixture to soak one fuU day ; in spring 
the roots are drier, so the heap lies for two days undisturbed. 
9. One lot of cattle (A) gets per head per day 2^ stones silage, 2 stones 
pulped potatoes, 2 stones pulped mangolds, 15 lbs. cut straw, 3 lbs. cake to 
begin with, 6 lbs. cake to finish with ; these cattle drink no water. Another 
lot fB) get per head per day 2k stones silage, 4 stones pulped mangolds, 
15 lbs. cut straw, cake as before ; these cattle drink no water. Store cattle 
get 2 stones pulped mangolds, 1^ stone silage, 10 lbs. cut straw, 2 lbs. cake ; 
these cattle drink a little water, but not much. Hours of feeding : half cake 
first in the morning ; an hour afterwards half mixture ; at 2 p.ii., half 
mixtm-e ; 6 p.jt., half cake. 
10. Morses : A mixture of pulped roots, cut straw, and at times cut hay, 
with one stone apiece of silage through the mixture. Breeding eices : Only 
grass until one month before lambing, when 10 lbs. to 14 lbs. of roots are 
allowed (never swedes) ; when on roots, cut straw and hay, or oat chalF, 
is always given. If there is a lot of rough pasture, the ewes run there 
during "the day and on the turnip fold during the night. After lambing, 
and when all danger of fever and inflammation has gone, I feed as liberally 
as possible, never forgetting dry food and a little bran, cake, and oats. 
When gi-ass is plentiful in summer I give no other food. 
11. This being a light land farm, I keep mostly a sheep stock. Cattle 
are not suited for summering here ; the grass grows too short, and the 
soil is too hot for cattle. During autumn, winter, and spring I treat cattle 
on the system already explained. At the same time I always have a few 
young beasts during summer ; these I run thinly with the sheep for the 
benefit of the pasture. The cattle eat down the rough herbage refused by 
the sheep, and coarseness in the pastures is thereby avoided or prevented. 
13. 1 bought a lot of cattle on December 13, 1887, at 10/. Yesterday 
[March 19] I sold half of them at 18/. 10s. ; the others are worth 17/. 10s. 
The cost ot food as described under letters A and B, I calculate, amounts to 
8^d. per day. No charge is put upon straw, but no credit is taken for 
manure. Koots are valued at lOs. per ton, silage at 10.5. per ton, and cake 
at Id. per lb. On the old system, roots ad libitum, and long straw and hay, 
I calculate the cost would be half again as much, and not such rapid fattening. 
14. No. I highly approve of steaming chaft', but do not think cooking 
roots beneficial. A trial made some years ago did not please me. 
VOL. XXIV. — S. S. H H 
