Rape- Cake  as  Food  for  Stock. 
613 
describing  the  system  which  I had  seen  pursued  with  marked 
success,  and  which,  somewhat  to  my  surprise  in  such  an  assembly, 
was  evidently  regarded  with  that  jealous  feeling  of  distrust  in 
novelties  which  proverbially — and,  in  many  instances,  wisely — 
characterizes  the  agricultural  mind.  It  is,  therefore,  with  suit- 
able acknowledgments  for  the  opportunity  now  afforded  me 
through  the  pages  of  the  Journal,  that  I purpose  considering 
the  benefits  likely  to  accrue  from  the  use  of  rape-cake  as  food. 
That  we  may  proceed  the  more  satisfactorily  it  will  be  requisite 
at  this  stage  to  place  before  the  reader  a copy  of  the  letter, 
which,  being  too  unwell  to  attend  the  meeting,  Mr.  Charnock 
addressed  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Society,  on  seeing  the  Report 
of  the  discussion  referred  to.  And  to  render  conviction  the 
more  complete,  we  may  further  premise  that,  so  far  from  the 
Holmefield  practice  being  adopted  in  consequence  of  Mr. 
Pusey’s  paper,  it  had  been  in  full  operation  a year  or  two  before 
that  paper  appeared  ; at  the  same  time,  it  will  be  observed  that, 
although  at  different  periods,  both  gentlemen  conceived  the  trial 
Jrom  the  same  source.  Mr.  Pusey  says,  “ Having  been  informed 
by  a French  farmer  that  it  is  the  practice  in  French  Flanders  to 
mix  rape-cake  with  oil-cake,  in  the  proportion  of  one  to  two,  for 
the  nobler  purpose,  &c.”  Mr.  Charnock  remarks,  “ I deter- 
mined to  try  the  effect  of  rape-cake  on  sheep,  more  especially  as  I 
had  seen  it  given,  to  a certain  extent,  to  cattle  in  the  Netherlands.” 
Letter  of  Mr.  Charnock  to  Mr.  Milburn. 
Holmefield  House,  near  Ferry  Bridge, 
August  12,  1850. 
My  dear  Sir, — Seeing  in  the  newspapers  that  my  relative,  Mr.  J.  H„ 
Charnock,  has  been  explaining,  at  the  Yorkshire  Agricultural  Meeting  at 
Thirsk,  my  mode  of  feeding  sheep,  principally  on  rapecake,  and  per- 
ceiving that  some  doubts  were  expressed  as  to  whether  animals  could  be 
induced  to  eat  rapecake,  I hasten  to  furnish  you  with  the  particulars  of 
my  system,  the  results  of  which,  in  the  shape  of  fat  hogs,  you  last  spring 
did  me  the  honour  to  praise. 
Let  me  premise  my  further  observations  by  saying,  although  my  land  is 
of  very  inferior  quality,  I stock  heavily. 
I first  commence  teaching  my  ewes  to  eat  rapecake  at  lambing  time  ; 
but,  from  their  now  having  had  it  the  previous  seasons,  they  eat  it 
readily. 
At  lambing  time  the  ewes  have  free  access  every  night  to  troughs,  in 
which  is  crushed  rapecake,  placed  in  the  lambing  fold.  As  the  ewes 
lamb  and  go  to  pasture,  the  rapecake  is  continued  through  the  summer  at 
the  rate  of  half  a pound  each  ewe  per  day.  At  weaning  time,  about  the- 
middle  of  July,  I take  the  ewes  from  the  lambs,  giving  to  the  latter,  on 
their  old  pasture,  as  much  cake  as  they  will  eat,  in  proportion  of  one-third 
rapecake  to  two-thirds  linseedcake.  This  proportion  I continue  until  I 
remove  them  on  to  my  second  crop  of  clover,  when  I alter  the  cake  to 
one-third  linseed  and  two-thirds  rapecake,  which  proportion  I continue 
through  the  winter,  giving  them  each  half  a pound  of  cake  per  day  on 
