The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1870-06-10
The Mammoth Oxen-HOW t

The following extract from He-
port of q committee of the American
Institute Farmers Club, appointed to
visit the great steers, fattened by Geo.
Ayrault, of Duches county, n. Y, is
not only interesting to the general
reader, but possesses especial value to
the farmer and stock raiser, as giving
the mode in which these mammoth
oxen were fed, and also the correct
principles on which feeding should
be conducted. The committee says:
The beasts are of wonderful size,
the biggest OF them standing nearly
six feet from the ground. They are
as fat as they are big-bOneG, and
weigh, as we are informed, from 5000
to little less than 1000 nearly two
tons. We expect to reca yom Mr..
Lalor precise returns ? their
weight on hoOf, and I'll +ty of
dressed meat and tallot eReh
animal. In blood these
seventh-eighth shOrt-hOrnl
eighth is of a large-bOned
NAL. They are not ped
but have been bred for faI
tiles. The sire of their
Kentucky bull, and til
from q good herd in N>e5tern CSoSF
York. They were fed in the usual
way till three years of agC-that is
they had good summer range, and
sweet hay in winter, with little
grain, especially Oat proVender or
wheat shorts, on which their growth
were uninterrupted, but not very "a
pid. At the age of four the fattening
began. They were given a peck of
dry meal each day at two feeds. The
meal was mostly Indian, with some
rye shorts or Oat prOvender to give it
lightness, and to furnish more gluten
and moro bone phosphate than could
be expected from the Indian meal
alone. They were also fed about the
same quantity of roots as they receiV-
ed of grain, nearly peck at a feed
twice a day. They had at all times as
much early cut, sweet, upland hay as
they could eat. In summer they had
two ranges for pasturage, one new
seeded and the other old bottom
They ranged over each lot every day,
and thus had ever a variety of grasses.
Moreover. they were fed with hay in
the summer. 1t was found that, no
matter how good their pasture, they
never lost their appetite for lock of
good, sweet hay, not even i'll July
AS the object i'll fattening an animal
is to induce him to eat and to assimi-
late the greatest quantity of flesh
making food, variety should be be
carefully studied. When he seems to
have enough of the best of hay. he
will eat roots with Zest; and full as
an animal may appear to be of nutri-
tiOus grasses, he will cat good hay
with an aVidity somewhat surprising.
When these steers were four years old
and past, they weighed from 1000 to |
200. The year following they gain |
about 500 all around. And their !
weight was from $500 to 1920 and !
over. The year following, the last /
year of their lives, though great pains !
were taken, they did not gain as fast /
the average being about 37O pounds |
each. He is n good feeder who can |
in twelve months get his herd to take |
on 400 pounds all around; but Az /
rault has had beasts to take on 800 |
and 600 pounds. So far as profit is |
is concerned he has gained nothing
from the last year of their lives, ex-
cept in the fancy prices which ami !
mails like this command, simply OH |
account of their magnitude. He |
thinks five years is the age when a /
fattening animal is likely to yield the |
most for the care and food which he |
has required. He is doubtful wheth-
er it pays, as 4 general practice, to |
feed cattle to such immense size
Great care and watchfulneSs are re-
quired to keep the appetite free, a
constant wise variety of food must be
given. and it is only an accident that
the cattle can be found so wonderful
" disposed to take on flesh. Your
committee cannot but express a con-
viction that Mr.. Ayrault deserves the
thanks of farmers for having shown.
to a degree never before reached in
this country, the results that may be
had by wise choice of animals to
fatten. and by constant care and skill
in feeding. lie has proved also the
wonderful and exact adaptation of
the shOrt-hOrned stock for beef-mak-
ing.