| Increase in live weight. | |
|---|---|
| Lot 1. Oil-cake | 637 lbs. |
| Lot 2. Wheat and barley meal | 667 lbs. |
| Lot 3. Bruised linseed | 718 lbs. |
During the 112 days each bullock consumed 5 cwt. oil-cake (or an equivalent amount of linseed or wheat and barley), 6 cwt. hay, and 90 cwt. of roots. The average increase in each animal's weight was 337 lbs. = 224 lbs. dead weight. The economic features of this experiment are best shown in the following figures:—
| FOOD CONSUMED. | |||
| £ | s. | d. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 cwt. oil-cake, at 10s. 6d. per cwt. | 2 | 12 | 6 |
| 6 cwt. hay, at 3s. per cwt. | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| 16 weeks' attendance, at 6d. per week | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| ———————— | |||
| £3 | 18 | 6 | |
| ———————— | |||
| Gained 16 stones per week, at 8s. per stone | 6 | 8 | 0 |
| ———————— | |||
| Balance to pay for 90 cwt. of roots | 2 | 9 | 6 |
The manure obtained afforded a good profit.
The seed-pods, or, as they are termed, the bolls of the flax, have been recommended as an excellent feeding stuff. They are not so nutritious as linseed, but they are cheaper, and when produced on the farm must be an economical food. Mr. Charley, an intelligent stock-feeder in the county of Antrim, and an eminent authority in every subject in relation to flax, strongly recommends the use of flax-bolls. He says:—
The cost of rippling is considerable; but I believe, for every £1 expended, on an average a return is realised of £2, particularly on a farmstead where many horses and cattle are regularly kept. The flax-bolls contain much more nourishment than the linseed-cake from which the oil has, of course, been expressed, and they form a most valuable addition to the warm food prepared during winter for the animals just named. I believe they have also a highly beneficial effect in warding off internal disease, owing, no doubt, to the soothing and slightly purgative properties of the oil contained in the seed. The change made in the appearance of the animals receiving some of the bolls in their steamed food is very apparent after a few weeks' trial; and the smoothness and sleekness of their shining coats plainly show the benefit derived. Is it not surprising, with this fact before our eyes, that many agriculturists—indeed, I fear the majority—persist in the old-fashioned system of taking the flax to a watering-place with its valuable freight of seed unremoved, and plunge the sheaves under water, losing thereby, in the most wanton manner, rich feeding materials, worth from £1 to £3 per statute acre?
In the following table, the composition of all the more important oil-seeds is given:—
| COMPOSITION OF OIL-SEEDS, ACCORDING TO DR. ANDERSON. | ||||
| Linseed. | Rape-seed. | Hemp-seed. | Cotton-seed (decorticated). | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | 7·50 | 7·13 | 6·47 | 6·57 |
| Oil | 34·00 | 36·81 | 31·84 | 31·24 |
| Albuminous compounds (Flesh-formers) | 24·44 | 21·50 | 22·60 | 31·86 |
| Gum, mucilage, sugar, &c. | }30·73 | 18·73 | }32·72 | 14·12 |
| Woody-fibre | 6·86 | 7·30 | ||
| Mineral matter (ash) | 3·33 | 8·97 | 6·37 | 8·91 |
| 100·00 | 100·00 | 100·00 | 100·00 | |
Fenugreek-seed is used very extensively in the preparation of "Condimental food." It is often given to horses out of condition. Sheep have been liberally supplied with this food, which, however, it is stated, communicates a disagreeable flavor to the mutton. It contains, according to Voelcker, the following:—