Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-06-26

The subject OF high feeding young
stock and turning them off at two
years of age is receiving attention in
England. The Agricultural Gazette
reports the discussions befoc several
local societies on the subject. The
present high price of butchers meat
makes it an imbortant consideration
whether the market cannot be better
supplied by bringing out beef 1.-TWO
years old than greater age, if it can
be done proftaly. One farmer at a
meeting of the Kingscotc Agricult,,.
raj Association, stated as his expert.
encc, that he could not afford to fol
low such loosing business as buy
ing lean bullocks at e Is or 6 20
each, to begin upon. His plan, which
he said paid very well, was as fol
lows
"Twclvc cows are engaged in rear
ing calves, which are tattened from
birth, and are sold at about % months
old when they weigh from 100 to 100
stone. The calves are, of course,
we'll bred, while those calves which
have to be purchased are carefully
selected. They are weancd at three
months old, having been previously
kept short Of milk, and fed partly on
Cruel, and thus induced to feed on
oilcakc and hay. Surprising them to
be wcaned in December, their daily
rations ut six months old would be
II ID. or 2 fb. of linsced cake, with
the same quantity of bean meal, and
a sufficient amount of grains, mangel,
and hay. The cake and meal are
gradually increased till at twelve
months old the calves get twice the
quantities just mentioned. In sum-
mer the other articles of diet which
have been named are replaced by tri-
trifolium (which is excellent food
while it lasts, tares (which are also
good), and grass with second-cut
clover. The whole of the green food
is cut and brought to the animals in
their sheds and houses, which they
do not quit till the proper period ar.
rivcs for sending them to the butcher,
by which time their daily rations
have been increased to 4 10. of cake
and six 10. of bean meal with roots
and moderate allowance of hay.
The princspal of management is to
let the animals continually master or
outgrow their food, pushing them on
rapidly the last three months, so as
to land them fat at something under
two years old.
The chairman of the meeting said
the present high prices of meat, with
daily incrcsc of population, rendered
it very ncedful to give attention to
further supply. No one doubted
that the supplymust be greaterbcfore
prices get lower, or even if they were
to remain as they were. 1t would
very much increase the supply if cat
tie were brought out at two years old
instead of three, and, he believed, if
they were kept well, they would be
as heavy at two as at three. In one
of the instances Mr. Hayward had
given, there seemed to be &c per hcab
profit, while in the other there was
scarcely any profit at all. There
must be Il cause for such different re-
suits under such very similar treat
ment' either in the breeding or Sc
lection of animals, the attendance,
climate or quality of food. There
fore it is of great Importance forthem
to thoroughly discuss the subject,
that they may arrive at a satisfactory
conclusion, rs to whether it can be
done with profit, and if not, to dis
cover the reason.
After some discussion the follow
ing resolution was passed by a large
majority. "This meeting is of the
opinion that well bred calf, if kept
we'll from the time it is dropped, and
not turned out the first year, can be
brought out fit for the butcher at two
years old with profit"