118 
February  9,  1899. 
JOUnXAL  OF  HOllTW^LTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
a  diet  rich  in  nitrogen  and  phosphoric  acid,  so  that  it  has  the  where¬ 
withal  to  form  hone  and  muscle. 
As  a  large  proportion  of  calves  are  horn  in  the  spring,  the  period 
of  age  from  tvvelve  to  eighteen  months  will  generally  be  spent  out  at 
grass.  Good  grass  being  a  perfect  natural  food  for  growing  stock, 
little  assistance  may  be  needed,  but  undecorticated  cotton  cake  will  be 
a  safe  food  on  grass  if  used  in  moderation.  Later,  as  pastures  run  offj 
more  cake  can  be  given  in  the  form  of  linseed  added  to  the  former 
ration  of  cotton. 
The  next,  and  a  most  important  question  is,  when  to  bring  the 
cattle  up  from  grass  ?  Do  not  make  the  mistake  of  keeping  them  out 
too  long.  Cattlo  for  winter  feeding  should  be  in  the  yards  by 
October  1st,  and  earlier  if  the  pastures  be  pcor  and  bare. 
But  we  have  got  our  animal  up  to  the  ago  of  eighteen  months, 
and  if  he  has  been  properly  treated  he  should  be  a  well  grown 
bullock,  and  ready  to  undergo  the  final  fattening. 
Nearly  fifty  years  ago  a  series  of  very  exhaustive  experiments 
w’ere  carried  out  at  Bothamsted  with  a  view  to  testing  the  assimi¬ 
lating  powers  of  oxen,  sheep,  and  pigs.  During  these  experiments 
it  was  found  that  the  increase  in  animals  in  the  fattening  process 
depended  in  a  much  more  uniform  degree  on  the  carbohydrates  of 
the  foods  than  on  the  nitrogenous  fortion. 
The  result  of  comparative  tests  showed  that  in  the  increase  of 
weight  as  between  an  average  store  bullock  and  a  fat  one,  the  increase 
of  fat  was  in  proportion  of  11  to  2  of  other  solid  matters.  We 
may,  therefore,  take  it  that  we  are  using  no  misnomer  when  we  speak 
of  fattening  bullocks ;  in  fact  it  is  a  much  more  expressive  term  than 
feeding,  the  one  in  general  use. 
Notwithstanding  the  low  price  of  "starchy  foods — (be.  carbo¬ 
hydrates)  such  as  IMaize  and  Barley,  few  farmers  can  be  found  who 
believe  much  in  their  use  for  the  fattening  of  cattle.  When  AVheat 
was  down  at  20s.  per  quarter  in  1895,  hundreds  of  farmers  tried  the 
use  of  it  for  cattle  feeding.  None  have  persevered  with  it,  and  even  if 
prices  were  to  fall  to  such  a  level  again,  we  do  not  suppose  they  would 
repeat  the  experiment.  The  fact  is  that  where  there  is  a  good  supply 
of  roots,  which  generally  accompanies  winter  feeding,  oil  cakes  are 
found  by  feeders  to  give  most  satisfaction. 
Experiments  iwith  home-grown  Wheat  and  Barley  were  carried  on 
at  Woburn  in  1895  in  the  feeding  of  bullocks.  The  grain  was  grittled 
and  given  in  conjunction  with  cake,  other  experiments  being  tried  with 
cake  alone.  The  Wheat  and  Barley  were  charged  at  the  rate  of  £1 
per  quarter,  the  local  value  at  that  period.  The  linseed  cake  cost 
£7  per  ton,  and  the  decorticated  cotton  £6. 
The  general  results  of  the  trials  w^ent  to  show  that  the  cattle  gave 
the  most  increase  from  the  mixture  of  cake  and  corn,  but  the  difference 
w'as  not  a  great  one,  and  this  without  reckoning  anything  for  residual 
manurial  value.  When  the  latter  was  brought  into  account  the 
balance  was  much  in  favour  of  the  cake.  And  this  with  Wheat  at 
20s.  per  quarter  ! 
It  would  appear  that  Alaize  at  20s.  is  not  a  cheaper  food  than 
cotton  and  linseed  cakes  at  £5  and  £8  respectively,  and  that  there  is  no 
advantage  in  using  it  except  to  give  more  variety  of  food  and  tempt 
the  appetite  during  the  last]  stages  of  fattening.  It  is  at  this  period 
that  a  little  meal  sprinkled  over  the  pulped  roots  and  chaff  encourages 
the  animal  to  eat  up,  but  if  Barley  can  be  got  for  anything  like  a 
reasonable  price  we  should  prefer  harleymeal  to  ground  maize. 
A  question  in  connection  with  cattle  feeding  which  has  engaged 
some  attention  is  the  advantage  of  cutting  up  straw  into  chaff. 
About  ten  years  ago  Mr.  Henry  F.  Moore  of  Somerset  addressed 
letters  to  200  leading  agriculturists  asking  them  to  give  their 
exirerience  as  to — 1,  Chaffing;  2,  Mixing;  3,  Cooking;  and  4, 
Steaming  cattle  foods. 
The  replies  were  very  strongly  in  favour  of  chaffing  straw, 
chieily  from  motives  of  economy  and  with  the  view  of  maintaining 
more  stock.  Alixing  was  also  strongly  advocated,  especially  the 
mixing  of  chaffed  straw  and  pulped  roots,  leaving  sufficient  time  for 
fermentation  to  take  place  before  use.  Cooking  and  steaming  were 
not  looked  on  w'ith  so  much  favour,  except  in  the  case  of  damaged 
hay  or  straw,  which  might  le  useless  for  food  unless  treated  in  such 
a  way. 
Summing  up  on  the  whole  subject  it  appears  that  the  young 
animal  requires  food  rich  in  nitrogen  and  phosphoric  acid.  Linseed 
cake,  though  expensive,  is  too  well  supported  by  practical  men 
to  be  lightly  thrown  aside,  and  if  beanmeal  be  added  in  increasing 
quantity  until  the  sge  of  twelve  months,  then  decorticated  cotton 
cake  (again  in  increasing  quantity),  the  original  rations  remaining 
in  statu  quo.  With  the  addition  of  a  little  harleymeal  in  the 
latter  stages,  when  the  beanmeal  may  be  dropped  altogether,  we 
think  that  the  butcher  will  not  find  much  fault  when  the  bullock 
comes  to  market,  and  the  crops  of  the  farm  will  speak  silently, 
though  eloquently,  for  the  quality  of  the  muck  with  which  they  have 
been  grown. 
WORK  ON  THE  HOME  FARM. 
We  are  surely  to  have  no  winter  this  season,  for  no  sooner  had  a 
couple  of  sharp  nights  last  week  frost-bound  the  roads,  and  set  the  muck 
carts  running,  than  once  again  the  wind  changed,  the  thermometer  rose^ 
and  a  reversion  to  the  previous  muggy  and  muddy  state  occurred. 
Last  year  at  this  time  many'  farmers  had  already  drilled  considerable 
breadths  of  Barley  and  Oats.  Wo  have  not  yet  heard  of  any  drilling  this 
year,  for  perhaps  the  good  reason  that  the  land  is  so  much  wetter  than  a- 
year  ago,  and  there  is  not  the  same  encouragement  to  take  advantage  of  a 
fine  seedbed. 
The  land  is  certainly  not  yet  fit  for  Barley  sowing,  but  on  good  well 
drained  soils  Oats  might  be  drilled  with  advantage  on  lea  that  has  lain  a 
sufficiently  long  time  since  ploughing.  To  drill  now,  the  land  should  have 
been  turned  over  before  Christmas.  Plenty  of  seed  must  be  used,  for  the 
young  plants  will  have  many  enemies,  and  four  bushels  will  not  be  any 
too  much  to  put  on  an  acre.  We  do  not  ourselves  care  for  such  early 
sowing,  but  where  there  is  a  large  breadth  of  spring  corn  to  sow,  and  this 
is  frequently  the  case  now.  Wheat  has  been  discarded  so  largely,  the 
putting  in  of  a  field  or  two  in  February  helps  much  to  relieve  the  pressure 
of  spring  work  later  on,  when  it  always  has  a  tendency  to  run  into 
arrears. 
A  fair  seedbed  will  do  for  Oats,  as  evenness  of  growth  is  not  so 
essential  for  this  crop  as  it  is  for  Barley,  and  horses  might  be  more  profit¬ 
ably  employed  in  drilling  Oats  now  than  in  ploughing  a  recently  trodden 
sheepfold  with  the  water  still  in  it.  We  like  to  keep  the  plough  close  up 
behind  the  sheep  ;  but,  except  on  the  very  lightest  soils,  it  will  not  do  to 
plough  Turnip  land  in  a  wet  state. 
AVheat  wants  rolling,  but  the  surface  is  too  wet ;  the  roller  is  ready 
in  the  field,  and  the  first  windy  day  will  see  us  making  a  try  with  it. 
Hedge  plashing  and  scotching  is  now  about  finished,  as  it  should  be, 
and  the  men  are  engaged  in  using  the  best  thorns  for  filling  up  gaps, 
and  strengthening  weak  places  in  the  other  fences.  The  rail  and  wire 
fences  must  also  be  looked  over,  for  it  is  not  long  now  to  spring  time  and 
spring  grass. 
METEOROLOGICAL  OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden  Square,  London. 
Lat.  51°  32’  40"  N.;  Long.  0°  8'  0"  W.;  Altitude  111  feet. 
Date. 
9  A.M. 
In  the  Day. 
1899. 
January  and 
February. 
Barometer 
at  32°,  and 
Sea  Level 
Hygrometer 
Direc¬ 
tion  of 
Wind. 
Temp, 
of  soil 
at 
Shade  Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Tempera¬ 
ture. 
d 
1 
Dry. 
Wet. 
1  foot 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun 
On 
Grass 
Sunday  ....  20 
inchs 
30-062 
deg. 
37  *7 
deg. 
37-5 
N. 
deg. 
37-2 
deg. 
41-6 
deg. 
32-2 
deg. 
47-2 
deg. 
28-4 
inch.**. 
o-ior 
Monday  ....  30 
Tuesday  ....  31 
Wfidnesd.ay  1 
29-933 
39-2 
38-2 
N.E. 
38-0 
44-3 
36-6 
52-4 
30-0 
— 
-29-745 
34-7 
34-2 
N. 
38-1 
39-7 
30-8 
46-9 
26-8 
— 
29-483 
36-2 
34-2 
N.W. 
38-1 
39-9 
34-6 
45-6 
31-9 
— 
Thursday  . .  2 
Friday .  3 
Saturday ....  4 
29-499 
30-3 
30-0 
N. 
37-9 
40-4 
28-4 
73-4 
24-3 
— 
29-844 
32-1 
31-3 
W. 
37-0 
38-fi 
28-8 
62-3 
23-8 
— 
30-008 
28-1 
28-1 
s.w. 
36-4 
39-7 
25-8 
70-8 
22-1 
0-380 
29-79t 
34-0 
33-4 
37-5 
40 '6 
31  -0 
56-9 
26-8 
0-487 
REMARKS. 
29th. — Continuous  rain  from  7.30  A.M.  to  2  I’.M.,  then  dull  and  damp,  and  showery 
again  in  evening. 
30th.— Damp  and  showery  early ;  fair  after  with  gleams  of  sun,  and  frequently 
sunny  after  noon. 
31st. — Overcast  all  day. 
1st. — Fair  day,  with  some  faint  sun  in  afternoon. 
2nd. — Cloudy  early  ;  fre(iuent  faint  sun  in  morning,  and  brilliant  afternoon  and 
night. 
3rd.— Faint  snn  in  morning,  bright  in  afternoon  ;  clear  night,  with  a  slight 
low  fog. 
4th.— Fog,  rather  thick,  till  10.30,  bright  sun  from  11  a.m.  ;  began  to  cloud  about 
1  P.M.  and  overcast  later,  with  occasional  flakes  of  snow. 
A  fine  week,  but  with  heavy  rain  in  the  early  hours  of  the  5th,  which  has  to 
to  be  entered  for  the  4th.  Temperature  slightly  below  average. — CJ.  J.  SYMONS. 
