Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1850-10-22
AGRICULTU U r AL.
THE FATTENING ANIMAL AND IT'S
FOOn


fat.ening animal. Here the obiec. of feed
ing is changed; itisn intended to increase
the size and weight of its bones and frame,
Tor these have attained their full develop
ment; their daily waste is to be fully re-
placed, and in addition there is to be the
greatest possible amount Of flesh and fat
accumulated upon them in the shor,es. pcs
sible time, and this with the least necessa-
~ cost.
Here is clearly new class Of food need
ed, containing not only phosphates, saline
substances, starch, etc, as before, but also
an increased proportion Of protean bodies,
and above all an abundance Of oily or fatty
matters. The vegetable fats, the animal fats,
some Of them, in fact, being almost identical:
Of course, then, transformations necessary
to convert them into the various parts Of
ahe body are easily accomplished.
Il has been argued by some scientific men,
tina, these vegetable oils are not of SO much
importance as is here ascrbed to them ];
shey say tina. the chief part of the fat in our
domestic animals is derived from the starch
and sugar contained in their food. The
FAC. already mentioned, that both Of these
substances may be converted into fat. and
doubtless are so converted 10 large extent.
might seem 10 countenance such views, had
we not direct practical evidence that the
vegetable which is most oily in its nature,
is found to be mos, valuable in faltening.-
1t is only necessary to instance Indian meal,
oil cake, linseed jelly, ETC., as compared,
weigh. for weigh. in feeding, with rye, oats,
barley, potatoes, or ,urnirs. All experience
shows tina, the frs, named varieties of food
are BY far The best.
Starch, sugar, and gum, and especially
the two latter, unques.ionably aid material
ly in fattening, aud will fallen where there
is lille else given, bu, at the same time not
so speedily or economically as more oily
food would have done. A small portion Of
this latter food, mixed with larger quanti-
ties Of more wa,ery or less concentrated
nutrimen., is found TO be an extremely good
way Of feeding. Thus, in England, tor an
OK as many turnips as the animal will eat,
are given, with four or five pounds of oil
cake per day. They also use Hnseed jelly
made by boiling the iinseed in water, and
then mixing with Gu. straw and hay; when
it cools, stiff firm jelly is formed, when it
may be turned out in masses. The mixture
might we'll be tried in this country.
1t is now becoming the practice here to
use Indian meal for mixing with mois,ened
cut stuff, aud there is great advantage in so
doing; an advantage in the readiness and
relish with which the animal takes its food,
and also Of course in the effect upon its
growth.
cutting machine saves much hay, ena-
bles the farmer to consume large portion
of straw by mixing with hay, and at the
same time TO promote the fattening of his
stock by the greater case with which they
eat and dges, food already partially prepar-
ed for their stomachs. Everything which
saves labor to the fa,tening animal, promotes
the increase of its bulk. Hay for such pur-
pose should be mown before quite maIured
as j, contains so much more gum, sugar,
etc, than when allowed to stand till fully
ripe. The same practice is good with straw.
Grain is heavier and better in quality for
early cutting; and experience shows that
the straw is not less superior for feeding
purposes. Some kinds, cut early and, care
fully cured, nearly equal to certain varieties
of hay, and even superior 10 most Of that
which has been suffered to ripen and bleach
till it is little better than a mass Of dry
sticks.
Indian corn stalks, when cut as above,
and well cured, make mos! admirable fod-
der. They are then sweet and nutritious
TO an eminent degree. When cut fine, and
mixed with Indian meal, are eaten by cattle
with much avidity, and eaten clean, butts
and all. Some farmers think that really
good stalks are worth about as much as the
best hay. When we consider the weight
of them 10 be obtained from an acre Of
heavy corn they are probably more than
equal, taking into an account the respective
quantities per acre.
In many parts of the country corn stalks
are neglected, or, if carted a, all, are only
thrown into the barnyard whole. Their
butts and stalks come out undecayed in the
spring, making manure difficult to handle
or spread, and worse still to pillow under
We see hundreds of fields every autumn,
where the stalks stand bleached and white
till Just before snow comes, when perhaps
they are carted into the yard as just descrlb-
ed, or stacked for the benefit of such I'M
fortunate young stock as may be starved in
to the idea that they are tolerdble article
of food.
When made into small stacks in the field
with the butts we'll out so as to let air in,
and the tops tied together, they keep green
sweet, and tender, so that all stock relish
them highly. Some farmers leave the stalks
of one hill uncut, and gather those Of eight
to sixteen others around it. The centre
hill gives stability to the stack, and prevents
j, from blowing oyer.-Prof. Norton's
Prize Essay.
ADVANTAGE OF USING THE ROLLER ON
SANDY Substituting upon the value o.
the Roller, correspondent Of the German
town Telegraph says :-Sandy soils car