USE OF COD-LIVER OIL IN FATTENING ANIMALS. 239 
lighter weight than the healthy, well-to-do appearance of the 
sheep led them to expect. 
44 4 As regards bullocks. Last year ten short horns took 
each from a quarter of a pint to three quarters of a pint 
daily, and paid better than any other bullocks ; these were 
sold for London. The opinion of all who saw them was, 
that it was impossible for any beasts to go on so well as 
they did in the usual way with so little food. They com- 
menced with the quarter pint, and ended with three-quarters. 
I fancied, on the whole, that they did better on half a pint 
each per diem. I purchased for an experiment this year 
eight Herefords, even or regular beasts. They are divided 
into two lots, one of which has a quarter of a pint of oil 
daily, and all live alike. 
44 4 The bullocks have the oil mixed up with meal and 
chaff; the pigs with dry meal; the sheep have split beans 
soaked in oil. The commonest cod oil costs from 2s. 8 d. 
to 3s. per gallon. I have tried sperm oil against the cod 
oil, and prefer the latter. I should add that this year I 
only use an ounce for sheep and pigs, and four ounces per 
day for each bullock. The relief to a broken-winded horse 
from the administration of cod oil is very soon perceptible. 
I shall be most happy at any time to write to you further 
upon the subject. 
4 Believe me yours faithfully, 
4 A. W. 5 
44 1. It will be observed that in the above experiments 
on pigs, bullocks, and sheep, a greater degree of fattening 
was obtained from a less amount of food when cod oil was 
used. 
“ 2. That in all the animals there seemed to be a decided 
limit to the quantity which could be digested ; that for pigs 
being two ounces, the smaller thriving best on one ounce, 
and the larger hogs being over-fed on four ounces per diem. 
Sheep took an ounce, and bullocks a quarter to three- 
quarters of a pint, and “paid better than any other bullocks 
but in all these cases a much larger quantity w 7 as tried 
experimentally, and it invariably disagreed, producing de- 
rangement of digestion, and 44 causing a yellow appearance of 
the fat and a fishy taste. v This w r as remarked by the 
butcher w 7 ho purchased the animals, and who, at my request, 
was not informed of the peculiar mode of fattening which 
was adopted. Whether the above experiments may induce 
farmers to adopt cod oil as a judicious article of food, more 
efficacious and cheaper for fattening their stock than those 
