582 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ December 21, 1882. 
POULTRY AND PIGEON CHRONICLE. 
MAXIMUM WEIGHT FOR AGE OF CATTLE AND 
SHEEP. 
Having previously on the 20th of July last given an account 
of maximum produce of farm crops, we now propose to furnish 
an account of the maximum produce of farm stock. We shall 
illustrate the subject by examples and practices connected there¬ 
with from some of the best stock-feeders in various parts of the 
kingdom. This matter is of the highest importance to those en¬ 
gaged in the breeding and feeding of cattle for the home markets, 
and as at this period when the best specimens have lately been 
exhibited at numerous shows throughout the country, including 
Birmingham and the London Show in Islington Hall, and are 
sold chiefly for consumption at Christmas 
The practice of feeding cattle for “ baby beef ” seems to have 
become prominent, and first mentioned in the home and southern 
counties. We find the first honourable mention is made by Mr. 
Henry Evershed, in reporting on the farming of Surrey and 
other counties in the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society 
of England in 1851, states—“ Of the example farm of Mr. 
Cyrus Ellis of Great House Farm, Hambledon, in Surrey, who 
was then a producer of young beef on a sand farm, he with others 
in his neighbourhood still continue the practice, for by the plan 
of early fattening Mr. Ellis avoids summering the cattle a third 
season ; the calves are allowed to run out in the arable fields as 
soon as the Rye is ready for them, afterwards they get cake in 
the pastures. The fatting bullocks are started on early Turnips 
by the middle of September.” It is further stated that if the 
animals are to attain the earliest possible maturity they must 
remain at all times in their sheds or boxes placid and undisturbed. 
They must not be turned out for exercise either in summer or in 
winter. The experiment was tried of keeping one lot in, and 
turning another on the best grass during the most favourable 
period of the summer. At the end of summer those kept under 
cover were worth about 30s. each more than those fed out of 
doors, the feeding having been the same except the difference in 
the fodder. There is no doubt about the value of this experiment 
and its results as to early maturity. It is unfortunately without 
any record of the weight of animals at a given age ; still the early 
lesson thus laid before us is not without its value, as evidenced 
by several instances which we shall bring to notice, for Mr. 
Evershed, in writing his essay in the Royal Journal in 1878 on 
the early fattening of cattle, states, “ That Mr. Joseph Blundell 
of Southampton set an early example in the production of ‘ baby 
beef ’ in South Hants in 1857, and read a paper on the subject 
before the Royal Agricultural Society, June 18th, 1862.” 
The following is his treatment :—“ My calves are weaned at a 
few days old, fed with new milk at first, gradually introducing 
the skim milk, linseed cake meal and barleymeal, with a little 
sweet meadow hay for a time in the rack allowed them, until they 
can safely take to green fodder, which they get in succession— 
first Rye, second Trifolium, third Clover, with a portion of old 
Mangold, then early Turnips. To commence the winter they get 
hybrid Turnips, Carrots, or Swedes, and lastly Mangolds, until the 
green fodder comes in again ; being supplied with clean fresh Oat 
or Barley straw always in the rack whilst feeding either on green 
fodder or roots, the portion not eaten being removed for littering 
the boxes daily. As soon as they begin to take green fodder they 
are allowed a small portion, say 2 lbs., of cake meal per day, 
mixed with the old Mangolds, which are cut with Gardner’s 
Turnip cutter. As soon as root-feeding commences they get 4 lbs. 
of cake meal per day, and continue to receive this quantity until 
they are sold—at from eighteen to twenty months ; having, how¬ 
ever, during the last three months 1 lb. of bean or barley meal 
extra. But at no time after they once take to their green food 
are they allowed hay, as this would be found to absorb the profit 
and injure the health of the animals also, for since I adopted the 
method of straw-feeding I have never had an animal hoven or 
unhealthy. The quantity of roots given the first winter is 56 lbs. 
per day, the second autumn not more than 64 lbs. per day, the 
meal being always mixed with the cut roots. In this way each 
kind of food is more beneficial to the animals, and when only fed 
twice a day they have plenty of time to lie down and digest their 
food, and will return to the troughs with a good appetite, and will 
eat a good portion of clean straw.” Mr. Blundell has frequently 
obtained prizes for young stock at the Easter cattle show of the 
Botley and South Hants Farmers’ Club, and has published one 
instance of a first-prize Shorthorn heifer which he sold to Mr. 
William Lunn of Southampton, at eighteen months and three 
weeks old, weighing 98 stone 6 lbs., with a great weight of fat 
inside. 
This selection of Mr. Evershed’s is well calculated to induce 
farmers to excel its results if they can, and we shall show how 
far this has been since accomplished as we proceed to give further 
experience of cattle-feeders taken from his essay. Messrs. Drewitt 
and Son of Pickard’s Farm near Guildford, who have furnished 
details of feeding, &c., say :—“ When the calves are weaned they 
get whilst on grass 2^ lbs. of linseed cake each daily. In October 
they commence feeding in yards with the same allowance of cake, 
with one-third of a bushel of Swedes or Mangold daily, straw, and 
rough hay. After the second summer on pasture with the same 
quantity of cake they are prepared for the butcher, with 1J bushel 
of roots daily, 5 or 6 lbs. of linseed cake daily for three months, 
and afterwards at the finish 5 or 6 lbs. of peas or barley meal in 
addition. At a little more than two years old useful Shorthorns 
thus kept nine of them were sold to Mr. Colebrook, butcher of 
Guildford ; the heaviest steer was just 105 weeks old, and weighed 
122 stones 2 lbs. At a sale of young common country-bred cattle 
fed by Mr. Stanford of Carlton Court, Sussex, seven Shorthorns 
were sold ; the best animal of the lot was sold to Mr. Page of 
Partridge Green, which gave 8s. per week to the feeder, weighing 
132 stones at one hundred weeks old. It is, however, considered 
a fair average weight for animals well fed from birth to yield 
100 Smithfield stones of 8 lbs. at one hundred weeks old.” 
Although it is often stated that old beef as well as mutton is 
to be preferred, yet the quality of all meat, however, depends 
greatly upon management and the mode of feeding. The evi¬ 
dence of Mr. Port, the butcher of Ship Street, Brighton, who 
supplies a superior class of customers, states that some bullocks 
from Mr. Stanford’s at Carlton Court, purchased on June 12th, 
1874, at nineteen months and a half old weighed 100 stone 4 lbs., 
and that when slaughtered proved the most complete carcases of 
beef, and the meat gave every satisfaction to the consumer, being 
very tender and of delicious flavour. Much more evidence of a 
similar nature is obtainable, but we have given enough to prove not 
only the advantage of making young beef to the feeder but to the 
consumer also. Still there remains the practical point of detail 
in feeding and the cost; for it will be noticed that in Mr. Blun¬ 
dell’s mode of feeding, and the cost of the material and quantity 
allowed, per day is much less than in the case of Messrs. Drewitt 
and Sons on their plan of feeding, or on Mr. Stanford’s allowance 
for his young animals. There is, however, a further question to 
be considered, that of housing, because in our experience for 
many years when we desired to make young beef we always fed 
them at full head as calves, and continued such mode of feeding 
■—namely, at full allowance of the best of food, but the animals 
were always on the straw in boxes or sheds under cover, which 
latter plan is the only way to obtain the full benefit of liberal 
feeding, for young animals in particular. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—Since our last statement there has been continued 
delay as far as preparing and se ding the land with Wheat is con¬ 
cerned. In many counties the reports state that not one-half of the 
land intended for Wheat has been sown, and that much which has 
been sown cannot produce an even plant, for the rains have been so 
heavy and continuous that much grain will perish in the land. The 
Wheat plant is, however, a very hardy one, and will bear various 
changes from frost to thaw, but heavy rains occurring immediately 
after sowing settles the ground over the grain on strong soils so 
