SALT FOR CATTLE AND SHEEP. 
23 
SALT FOR CATTLE AND SHEEP. 
The following article is extracted from “Trav- j 
els in France,” published more than fifty years I 
ago ; hut none the worse for its antiquity. The 
question is yet a mooted one, how far salting 
stock is conducive to their health, or necessary 
to promote their growth, or dispose them to take 
on fat. If any of our readers have any argu¬ 
ments in oposition to the doctrine of the an¬ 
cients in regard to salting stock, let us have 
them in as concise a form as practicable:— 
One of the most singular practices in the 
eyes of an Englishman, that is to be met with 
abroad, in the management of sheep, is the reg¬ 
ularity with which salt is everywhere given to 
their flocks, and also to cattle. The practice is 
of great antiquity. The ancients were in a reg¬ 
ular practice of giving salt to sheep. Colu¬ 
mella tells us, that if the pasture for this animal 
were ever so sweet, yet it would grow stale to 
them, if they had not salt given in wooden 
troughs. It appears, from an imposition estab¬ 
lished so long ago as 1462, in the Milanese, that 
the annual consumption of salt is reckoned at 
28 pounds for each head of cattle. In France it 
is conjectured to amount to 50 pounds, and for 
sheep to 15 pounds, where the sale of it is free. 
The same author mentions it as a known fact, 
that cows give the more milk for it; sheep finer 
wool; and that all animals are kept by it in 
good health. In some of the articles of instruc¬ 
tion to the deputies in the National Assembly, 
salt is considered as essential to the well being 
of cattle, inde^pensable to all beasts. M. d’Au- 
benton directs one pound every eight days to 
twenty sheep. In Spain it is as common as it 
is in Italy and France; a fanega of salt, or 100 
pounds, is allowed for 100 sheep, by law; but 
they use 15 and 20 fanegas for 1,000 sheep. In 
a memoir on the Spanish flocks, by the late Mr. 
Collinson, the account is more particular and 
curious. ‘ The first thing the shepherd does 
when the flock returns from the south to its 
summer downs, is to give the sheep as much 
salt as they will eat. Every owner allows his 
flock, of 1,000 sheep, 25 quintals of salt, 
which the flock eats in about five months; 
they eat none in their journey, nor in their 
winter walks. It is believed that if they stinted 
their sheep of this quantity, it would weaken 
their constitutions and degrade their wool; the 
shepherd places 50 or 60 flat stones, at about 
five steps distance from each other ; he strews 
salt upon each stone; he leads the flocks slowly 
through the stones, and every sheep eats to his 
liking. What is very remarkable is, that the 
sheep never eat a grain of salt, nor wish for it, 
; when they are feeding on land which lies on 
i limestone; an. as the shepherd must not suffer 
| them to be too long without salt, he leads them 
to a spot of clayey soil; artel, after a quarter of 
an hour’s feeding them, they march back to the 
stones and devour the salt. So sensible are 
they of the difference, that if they meet with a 
spot of mixed soil, which often happens, they 
eat salt in proportion.’ The practice is found 
equally in Germany; the late king of Prussia, 
by ordinance, expected his peasants to take two 
mebzen , (nine pounds,) for each milch cow, and 
one metze for every five milch sheep, and half 
as much for such as do not give milk ; [a very 
sensible practice, that ought to be followed in 
this country.— Eds.] and in Bohemia the high 
price of salt is found very prejudicial to the 
flocks. The Hungarian peasants lay pieces of 
rock salt at the doors of their stables, cow 
houses, &c., for cattle and horses to lick. It is 
practised, also, in Poland. Throughout all 
North America, salt is given to cattle and horses 
once a-week. Paoletti, a practical Italian 
writer, orders one pound to each sheep in au¬ 
tumn, and another in spring. M. Carlier de¬ 
cides against it, but on very insufficient author¬ 
ity. M. Tesser unites with the common prac¬ 
tice, by recommending it. This practice, which 
is unknown in England only, merits, I believe, 
much more attention than the English farmers 
are willing to give it, at least those with whom 
I have conversed upon this subject. I have 
tried it for two years past in my own flock; 
and though it is very difficult to pronounce the 
effect of such additions to their food, except 
after long and repeated experiments, I have, I 
think, reason to be satisfied, my sheep having 
been very healthy, and once or twice so, when 
my neighbors suffered losses. 
FARMERS’ CLUBS. 
We have often urged upon our country friends 
to form clubs for the discussion of matters in 
which they are particularly interested. The 
pleasures and advantages of these associations 
cannot be realised by those who have never 
tried them. 
Mr. T. S. Gold, of Cream Hill, in Connecticut, 
writes us that last winter they had a club which 
met once a-week by appointment at the house 
of some member; taking care always to have 
the female members along with them, who usu- 
ualy occupied one room to discuss their own 
matters, while the lords occupied themselves in 
the discussions of the club in another. 
One of the members acted as chairman or 
moderator, and called up every member in ro- 
