an enumeration of fuch of them as may have come to my knowledge would be only tiresome to the reader; for which reafon they are here omitted.-A judicious experimental philofopher, however, who would investigate this matter in a proper manner, and elucidate the fubject by decifive experiments, would do an effential favour to his country; as, in all probability, our future fuccefs in the woollen manufacture will depend upon our attending more particularly to the article of wool than we have done for more than a hundred years paft; during which period there is very great reafon to fufpect, that the quality of the wool in England, inftead of growing better, has become fenfibly worfe; while that of our neighbours on the continent has been greatly improved. XXXI. XXXI. At what age can animals of each parti→ cular class be fattened with the greatest facility; and at what period of life is the meat of each kind in the highest perfection, fuppofing it to be equally fattened? While animals are young and growing vigoroufly, as a great proportion of the food they eat goes towards encreasing the fize of the body, it is natural to expect that thefe will be with more difficulty brought into full fatness, than those which have previously attained their full ftature; but, if the flesh of these young animals is much efteemed, it may often happen, that the owner of these may have more profit by feeding feeding them, even under this disadvantage, than by keeping them till they attain their full maturity. It, therefore, becomes a queftion in rural œconomics, in what cafes the one or the other of these modes of feeding ought to be adopted; which could be the easier folved, did we know exactly what was the proportional difference of the exof feeding different claffes of animals in each of these cafes. pence With regard to the laft part of the query -It is fufficiently well known, that young mutton is never so agreeable to the palate as fuch as hath attained to full maturity;but how long it continues to improve, does not seem as yet to have been fo fully ascertained as it ought to be. There does not feem to be near fuch a difference between young and old beef or pork; and, therefore, the farmer is, or ought to be, under less reftraint with regard to these. XXXII. Do different claffes of animals require an equal quantity of food in proportion to their fize? If there is any difference in this refpect-What is the exact amount thereof with respect to each particular species of domestic animals when compared with others? It is certain, that if we compare very different orders of animals with one another, we will discover a prodigious difference in this refpect.-A caterpillar will confume in a day more than double its own weight of food, while the chameleon would be fuftained for months upon a like proportion of food-the camel is likewise believed to require a much smaller quantity of food in proportion proportion to its fize than almoft any other quadruped. But, to come to thofe in which we are more nearly interefted-It is univerfally be lieved, that an horfe requires a greater quantity of food to fuftain it than an ox of the fame weight: But I have never yet heard of any experiment that has accurately determined what is the exact proportion in this refpect. Common opinion feems to place it at different proportions; fometimes rating the horse at double the ox, and fometimes at only one third more. For, in many parts of the country, the price of the fummerfood of an ox is precisely one half of that of the horse; but, in other places, the difference is only as four to fix.-Whether either of thefe is exact, or which of them is neareft the truth, deferves to be ascertained with precision. But, as the opinion is fo univerfally prevalent, that the horse requires a greater quantity of food in proportion to VOL. II. S its |