Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1818-03-31
ESSAY No. 10.

| Possessing, as the farmers Of New England do,
| one Of the first grazing countries in the world il is
to he regretted THAI they have heen so negIectful
| In avaling themselves Of those advantages which
nature has placed in their hands The improve
ment of the breed Of cattle has hitherto excited but
little interest There indeed few whose
stocks of neat cattle would not suffer by compar-
ison with those of farmers in fngland which have
been SO much celebrated. But our yeornanry,
generally speaking, appear to have regarded the
| number Of their cattle, rather than the quality
OF them
We have, however, observed with pleasure that
| the spirit of enterprise and emulation recently
excited among agricuturalists has been extended
| to this branch of husbandry and from the speci-
| men which has already been exhibited to the pub
lick. may conclude, that with little attention
| aud trGing expense our stocks ofcatte might be
made to rival the European breed in usefulness, ii
not ia beauty and largeness.
| We are OF opinion with the writer who we
lately quoted that it is folly to 60 on il rearing the
calves from poor cows in preference TO those from
good cows which is often done, because excellent
cows bring excellent fat calves for the market
that their bad or good qualities doubtless hered
itary well their colour and size, at least 10
very considerable degree. The leading idea says
Arthur Young 10 his annals, that has governed
Mr.. Bakeweil in all his exertions, to procure that
breed Of cattle which 10 given quantity Of food
will give the most profitable meat-that in which
the proportion Of the useful meat 70 the quantity
of offals is the greatest. Therefore great head
dewaps or horns, or an over thick hide are rather
ofafs than meat
On this plan. the points to attend In beast
70 those where the valuable joints lie the rump
The hip. the back, the ribs. and after these TANKS
that is 10 saw the backward upper quarters bnt the
belly shoulders neck, legs and head. should he
light flor If beast has disposition to atten or be
heavy in these. il will be found deduction from
the more valuable parts. II has been said hut i'm
properly that barrel on four sticks would repre-
sent the true form !; but that shapes swell AZ the
top and bottom. whereas the back of a beast should
he square. strait and fat or If any rising ii should
be froma disposition to fatten and swell about the
rimp ard hip bones--and the belly should likewise
be quite strait. for il il swels il shews weight in
bad point. He thinks the shnrtneSs of the legs of
no Importance, nor are The neck head horns skin
and co!onr which fanced to be great signs nf
good or had creatures. Thick hides are generally
esteemed thriving beasts than others Of thin
hides. Mr.. BLACKWELL thinks pale coIore as white.
yellow. &c. denote finer meat. Hall these points
were against beast yet IL his earcase was we'll
made and Showed p turn to fatten, he would prefer
him 10 an III made beast with all those unimpor-
tant points in bis favour.
He Judges whether beast has The right dispose
ton Ia fatteu by feeling. He had rather DEPEND
on feeling only, than on seeing without feeling
In sheen. the bend only can tell whether the back
lat and hraad, and free from ridge 10 The back
bone. There is great difference in the feeling oF
lean huilocks: The hip hone should he covered
with something under the skin that feels oily and
soh-the same along the back bone and on the ribs
with good flank In beasts that do not thrive
well, there is nothing Of this softness 10 be per-
ceved but the hide is tight and bounded. There
is indeed sometimes in such a frothy looseness,
unlike the mellow feel. IL is lard 10 describe
this in words but The graZers understand and
practice it perfectly. We informed that in the
winter, Mr. Blackwell and other agricultnralists
in England kept thefS stock for diary and dranght
on sttaw, corn fodder, husks. and giving them
ter; or much better Juicy food or drink They
fattened their cattle on hay, cut straw with neal,
iiuseed jelly &c. in winter; On grass in the Summer
Salt should frequently be given the cattle, espe-
cially when housed
Oil cake is great fatteuer and gives the richest
manure but this is dear Iinseed jelly is taking
place of it. This jelly isa great discovery and
may very conveniently he made and applied in
America in fattening cattle Hay, meal and lin
seed Jelly must be excellent for fattening cattle in
stall feeding Linseed Jelly Is thus inside parts
of water to of haxseed stepped in apart of the
water Is hours-.'hen add the remaining water
cold, and boil gently two hours, string constantly
10 prevent burning. III Is cooled in tubs and given
mixed WI h any meal, bran and cut chat. Each
creature (Iarge) has two quarts of Jelly per lay;
equal to little more than quart of seed in ionr
iavs. Cattle six or seven years old fatten most
advantageously 10 the grazier. Their summer graz
zing is commonly but preparation 10 stall! fat