Nebraska advertiser., 1862-02-05
Profits Of Cattle and Sheep Feedlng.
Greenfield (Nass. Farmers C1u5.

Greenfield (Nass.) Farmers Czu6.
The Greenfield farmers Club met
on Tuesday evening Dec. 31st, to ex,
change opinions as to comparative
profit in feeding different animals.
1t was admitted all around that
owing to. the great facilities for
bringing cattle from the far west at a
low price, and in great quantities. at
all times of the year, cattle which had
roamed on the prairies, costing gov
eminent price, $1,25 per acre, and
fattened upon corn worth ten cents
per bushel-or distillery slops made
at the same rate-we here could not
compete on pastures worth $50 per
acre, and corn worth II cents.
The general impression was that
sheep feeding was the most profitable,
though some farmers, with good feed
and great skill in buying and feeding,
made cattle feeding to a limited extent
a paying business.
In the conversation there was. as
there must always be, an uncertainty
in the statements made, for want Of
conyeniences- in weighing and meas
uring. But one farmer knew any,
thing by weight ofthe amount of hay
fed out, and in that instance he bought
four tons and moved it, which all ad-
mitted caused a loss Of 10 to u per
cent. "
But one farmer present had feed
sheep much, and his experience was
several years since. He thought he
got 81 per bushel for his corng while
feeding cattle he got butr50 Icents.-.
He fed one lot of Merinos averaging
about 100 lbs, which more than dou-
bled in value. In mid winter he found
that 100 sheep ate. ton of hay and
seven bushels of grain, (corn and oa.s,) J
weekly. He considered sheep manure
to be worth twice as much as that from
cattle. aa@ a'.--
One OF Il ost sagacious farmers and
best feeders said he had often made
$50 advance on a pair of steers fed
from Feb to May or June 1st. A
calculation being made of the feed,
however, would only give him at that
So per ton for his hay, and 70 cents
per bushel for corn, while it was said
that sheep well bought and sold would
in one hundred days of careful feed
ing pay $40 per ton for hay and 85
cents per bushel for corn, leaving half
dollar head over for margin of
profit, besides making better manure
Several instances of great gain and
large returns from feeding cattle were
mentioned-of 700 pounds and 900
pounds in the winter, and Of 500 to
$3.50 advance on one winters feeding
but these seemed to be exceptional
cases. One farmer had a pair Of six
year old cattle gain in two years feed
ing 1900 pounds in growth and fat
Several thought they got good pay by
raising a few steers and fattening them
at three years old. .naaa szoifmat.
The Secretary observed that it was
shown by chemical analysis that the
manure from sheep was much more
valuable than-that of cattle, 36 pounds
of sheep dung being equal to 100
pounds of that from cattle. He no.
ticed that not much had been said of
the value of manure made from high
feed, as compared with that of com
mon dry food The careful analysis
of Professor Lawes of England, the
best agricultural chemist in the king
dom, showed that the manure made
from a ton Of cotton seed meal, was
worth as m.Scn as that made from 4
3-5Jn tons of meadow hay linseed
meal next, then wheat-Indian corn
and turnips last. Some exceedingly
interesting experiments of Hon. John
Brooks of Princeton, made. in 1852
showed that cows fed with hay alone
made lbs. and 44-10O of solid ma
nure to each pound of hay eaten
drinking from two to three times a:
much weight of water as they ate O.
hay. Farmers do not sufficiently
appreciate the money value of she
liquid manure. A COW voids annu-
ally about 16,3O0 pounds Of urine
which contains about 961 pounds o
solid matter, worth just as much al
the best Peruvian guano, which at S6C
per ton makes the annual value of th,
urine of COW S28,S3, which Nigh
all be save, d and would be large pc
centage Of her worth. go i'1.a-
| JAMES S. GRENELL, gz1.
Secretary.
There is.a coal mine in Cheshire
England, which is 2504 feet deep