The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-03-20 00:00:00

To the Editor of at Dorset County Evros out
Agricultural Gavels.

Dorchester, 19th Merck, 1991.

Sth,—The present price of beef is such as doe" not
require my pen to announce the fact that it is eery
high, every consumer having bad ample reason for
knowing it to be the case, so I need Dot go into
detail on this, for what has been done cannot he
remedied. But with regard to the future value
it will be necessary to look a little way into th;
present dearness of the article in question; and ex
doing so it will be found that for some years put
the general impression has been that bullocks will
not pay for fattening; but I will endeavour to prove
thatw-etsuLhhishencptrethpeerrilyghmsmwt viewedoffrothme
tmahettteimr for
e:
they
are born till they are fattened, there can be no doubt
but ample remuneration will follow. It is a common
eestom to kill all the calves, except a few actually
required for breeding purposes, owing to the
erroneous impression that " they will not pay fer
rearing,"—this and the present scarcity of bed is the
cause of the high price; and unless farmers pay more
attention to the rearing and artificial feeding of their
cattle, the demand will exceed the supply and be
the means of keeping beef very dear.
Now, Sir, if I were to tell your readers that there
is no cure for this, I should not have the conscience
to subscribe myself "Profitable Agriculture ;" but
should expect to hear them say of me as of the
Dorset Chrosirle—" it is all a lie." So I must
stick to my text, and show theta large quantity soy
be produced yearly, and it can be done in this way:
Where there is a daisy on the farm it will be well to
rear all the calves of both sexes, which will cost
about Ws. each—calculated up to the time of their-
being able to feed on the common produce of the
farm—at which time they may be plauct in a yard
and fed on cut nuingold, cake, bean, meal, and the
best straw that can be got; but on no account should
they taste hay alter this stage. When they are old
enough to shift for themselves they may be turned
out to glass; but it will pay to continue a little
artificial feeding, which should be done in a yard
during the heat of the day. This mode will do
till October, after which they should be kept
entirely in a yard on straw, water, a few mote, and
cake, which must now be increased to two pounds
each per day. This plan must be continued till the
grass is fit to receive them, when the heifers may be
kept for filling up the dairy, or sold, OA the cue
may be; and the steers will be fit to work the
following or third year. Those that are not required
for this purpose may be fattened, which will not boa
difficult process: for although these young cattle will
not fatten so quickly as old ones, they will be found
to pay well, owing to their having been reared on
straw, which will always result in making them
good feeders.
Thus it will be seen that the number of cow-stock
may he increased at pleasure : for if there is no dairy
on the farm, it is very easy to get any number of
calves at a moderate price—in fact there need not
ever be a scarcity of the raw material : fort=
cows are good at twenty years of age, having
a calf yearly during the whole time.
Now for the last part of my subject—" How to
make it pay." Upon this I will my that it will be
necessary to pay proper attention to all the plans
here laid down ; and it will be found that, by straw
feeding with cake, a large number will be produced:
for it will be necessary to give only as much straw as
will be eaten quite clean. The farmer, who now-a-,
days, wastes even an arm-full of straw, unit, I should
think, belong to that class called grumbler.: for if
they do that which will make farming unprofitable,
they may be expected to cry out. On the other hand,
if every man will consume or will every portion of
the produce of a farm in a proper manner, this clan"
will soon be extinct; and there will be plenty of
beef to meet the demand of a rising population. It
will readily be seen that the great object of turning
this straw-feeding of young stock to account, will
be the means of providing more hay for the
increasing number in the fattening sheds; and u
roots are generally given in excess, I will venture to
may that double the usual quantity may be produced,
and this done without any e etre outlay except for cak e ;
and taking the extra value of the manure into con-
sideration, which, in the straw-yard especially, will
bear no comparison with the common plea, the
sequel must follow, namely, that it must pay.
I remain, SIR,