HINTS FOR THE MANAGEMENT AND FOOD OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 
119 
My hoes are home made, the blade entirely 
steel; I have some here that have been, used for 
the past four years, and they have been used for 
cutting down sprouts, as well as cutting up grass 
and weeds. My foreman of the crop is furnished 
with a float file (flat file), and is required to keep 
the hoes sharp. 
I now sum up, commence cleaning the cotton 
early, clean it well, return as soon as possible, 
throw earth, or mould to the young plant; if the 
earth be hard, give a thorough plowing; keep 
the earth light and mellow, and the plants clear of 
grass and weeds. In my next I will give you the 
preparations for gathering. 
M. W. Philips. 
In justice to the writer .of what follows, we 
should say, that it was received a few days after the 
date of it in March, but its publication was post¬ 
poned for the purpose of giving place to other cor¬ 
respondents. Any similarity of views with those 
heretofore expressed in this work, can not be ow¬ 
ing to their appearance in the preceding numbers. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
HINTS FOR THE MANAGEMENT AND FOOD OF 
DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 
Buffalo t March 10,1843. 
Some of the most common errors in farm man¬ 
agement, and which claim the practice of antiqui¬ 
ty for their sanction, are perfectly apparent to those 
of ordinary perception, who will give sufficient at¬ 
tention to the subject to detect their absurdity. 
Among these, the system of stinting the food of 
growing, working, or fatting animals, milch cows, 
or indeed any class of stock, is one of the most 
palpable, and at the same time, most indefensible. 
Stuffing , except for fatting animals, is not the sys¬ 
tem to be inculcated or indulged in with impunity, 
but an adequate supply of wholesome, nutritious 
food , adapted to the wants and circumstances of 
the animal, should at all times he within its reach. 
The reason for this rule is so plain on a moment’s 
reflection, that time would almost seem lost in illus¬ 
trating it; yet so important is it to the farmer, and 
so generally neglected by many of the most intelli¬ 
gent among them, that a statement of facts at 
some length, may well be excused. 
It has been demonstrated by the most careful 
investigation, that an ox consumes, on an average, 
. 2 per cent, of his own live weight per day of good 
hay, to preserve him in condition. To accomplish 
ordinary labor, he requires to have this food in¬ 
creased by one fourth, consuming 2 1-2 per cent, 
per day. Now what is the inference Reducible 
from this fact, and fact it is in principle, if not 
entirely in degree. Why, that every yoke of idle 
cattle consumes as much food as is expended in the 
labor of 4 yoke ; that is, it requires as much to 
support 5 yoke idle, as 4 yoke at work; or, one 
yoke will perform 4 days* work with the food neces¬ 
sary to support them Jive days in idleness. The 
unprofitableness of allowing cattle to be idle is di¬ 
minished in a great degree, when applied to such 
as have not entirely attained their growth, when 
of course a part of the food consumed goes to the 
increase of the animals. How vastly more eco¬ 
nomical, then, is that system which furnishes to 
working cattle a liberal quantity of nutritious food, 
and exacts from them in return, a fair equivalent 
of labor. 
A cow, not in milk, eats 2 per cent, of her weight 
in hay per day, yet when giving milk, she requires 
but 3 per cent. With a given amount of pasture 
then, 2 cows may afford a good supply of milk, on 
what is necessary to support 3 which do not fur¬ 
nish any equivalent for the food consumed. The 
advantage of keeping a smaller number of 
cows full fed, in which the milking qualities are 
well developed, in preference to wasting the same 
food on a greater number of half-starved animals, 
illy adapted to the purpose required of them, is 
perfectly obvious. 
An ox eats but 4 1-2 per cent, of his weight per 
day to fatten, when, as we have said above, he 
consumes nearly half this amount to support life. 
How important to an economical expenditure of 
food then, that the fatting animals have all they can 
eat, instead of distributing it among a greater num¬ 
ber; for it should always he borne in mind, that 
the vital machine must in all cases deduct a certain 
amount to support itself, before anything is added 
in the shape of milk, labor, or fat, for the profit of 
the owner. 
Another important consideration is, to adapt the 
food to the object desired. It is well known, that 
different kinds of food vary essentially in the prin¬ 
ciples which compose them. All kinds of grain, 
peas, beans, and ripened grass, contain a much 
greater proportion of nitrogen than fresh grass and 
hay cut in blossom, roots, fruit, &c. The fat of 
animals contains no nitrogen, and butter scarcely 
an appreciable quantity, while the lean or muscular 
portion of flesh and cheese, each contain a large 
proportion. It is well ascertained, that of all the 
carbon taken into the stomach as food, the horse 
daily expires about 100 ounces, and a milch cow 
about 70 ounces, and an adult man taking moder¬ 
ate exercise, 13.9 ounces in the form of carbonic 
acid. This expenditure of the carbon of the food 
is under all circumstances absolutely essential to 
respiration. All action or motion, or force, requires 
an expenditure of the muscular portion of the ani¬ 
mal, that is, the more highly nitrogenized part* It 
follows, then, from the above principles, that for 
the performance of labor, well ripened grass and 
grain* are required; and they are equally neces- 
* I see by a recent analysis of corn, potatoes, and ruta¬ 
baga, by Dr. Dana, that he has placed com at a very low 
point, as affording material for animal flesh or muscle. 
His table stands thus:— 
100 pounds Potatoes Ruta-Baga 
each, of Corn, fresh dug, fresh dug, 
Contain of flesh, forming 
principles, gluten, al- 
bumen, &c. - - - * 
Fat, forming principles, 
as gum, sugar, starch, 
oil, woody fibre, &c. - 
- 1.26 
2.07 
1 
- 88.43 
24.34 
13 
Water. 
- 9 
72 
85 
Salts -. 
- 1.31 
1.39 
1 
100 
99.80 
100 
Now if the above be a correct analysis, and we 
have too 
