Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 1, 1802).djvu/494

460] The Lathyrus Aphaca and pratensis, ; several species of and ; the purple, or everlasting, and the , all are most excellent fodder for cattle.—Fir-tops, that is, the tender shoots of , though not generally known, also constitute an useful substitute. A remarkable instance of this fact occurs in the fifth volume of the Bath Society Papers, where an ingenious correspondent mentions, that, being greatly in want of provender, having very little, or no hay, he was obliged to feed his cattle on fir-tops. And, though he had upwards of 400 head of horned cattle, yet he did not lose above four or five; while many farmers and graziers, who lived in the same county, lost one-half, and several of them almost their whole stock. Hence we seriously recommend farther trials to be made with this article, which, in our opinion, promises a wholesome and invigorating food, and might, in a short time, be procured without employing large quantities of land for the growing of winter provision.

The last vegetable that peculiarly merits attention, as affording a proper food for cattle, is the Trifolium Melilotus officinalis, L., which frequently calls forth all the patience of the industrious cultivator; but which, from being a noxious weed, may become an inestimable resource. This plant has been given, both in a green and dry state, to horses, bullocks, asses, goats, and sheep, all of which have eaten it eagerly; it has also been allowed to pigs, which, however, relished it only while green. Let it suffice to observe, for the present, that, as the melilot grows on the worst soils, where it spreads like a shrub, and rises to the height of from three to five feet, great advantages may be obtained by planting it in desolate and barren places.

In enumerating the various vegetables which appear to be the most beneficial food for cattle, we have necessarily avoided entering into any particular details concerning their culture; because some of them have already been, and the rest will be, hereafter, noticed in their alphabetical series.

II. .

The English cattle are divided into several classes, or breeds, denominated from the different counties in which they are reared; as the Lincolnshire and Holderness, which are distinguished for their size; the Welsh and Norfolk breeds, which are as remarkable for their lean, and wretched appearance, as the Lancashire and Herefordshire are for their beautiful and healthy look. Besides these, there are several others, as the Sussex, Devonshire, or Somersetshire, which, though fine cattle, do not attract that attention, which is generally, and deservedly, paid to the Lancashire and Herefordshire breeds. The former of these is particularly celebrated for the improvements made by the late ingenious Mr., of whose mode of breeding we have already given a.

There was a remarkable peculiarity in Mr. 's cattle; namely, their uncommon docility and meekness, which were so great, that a boy with a switch could, without any difficulty, conduct them from one part of his farm to another. This gentleness was the effect