Rensselaer Republican, Volume 17, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 September 1884 — Charcoal for Live Stock. [ARTICLE]

Charcoal for Live Stock.

Charcoal has recently been recommended as an addition to the food of animals, as it increases their power of accumulating fat, and promotes -the rapid and healthy production of flesh. This was recently proved by taking the live weights of twe lots of sheep, and simply separating tliejn by a net; the artificial food, corn and cake, being carefully weighed out to each lot alike daily, and one lot of charcoal being added to one lot only. When re-weighed prior to selling to the butcher, the increase in weight was in favor of charcoal by 16.25 per cent. Sanitation causes easy and complete digestion; and assimilation only can accomplish. The charcoal phould be given mixed with food, except in urgent cases, when it may be mixed in water or thin gruel, and given as a drench. The dose is one pint to every twenty-five head of sheep-or lambs, one quarter pint per head for full-grown cattle, horses, or pigs, half the quantity for young cattle, and two teaspoonfuls to one dessertspoonful for young calves, daily, when suffering from disease, or in ill condition. To keep in good health, and fortify against disease, the dose should be given two or three times a week, according to the class of food they are having, and the state of the atmosphere. The best plan is to wet a quantity of bran; pollard (malt combings); mix the charcoal among iV and then among the food you give them. For rapid and healthy fattening of cattle, it should be used daily among their food. Charcoal for internal* medicinal purposes must be pure vegetable charcoal, free from all irritating and injurious foreign matter. charcoal, when coming into the user’s possessiQn, must be kept perfectly dry, and free from ’ any ill-smelling surroundings, such as the vapors of a stable or nrtifi-

cial manures; etc., or it will absorb them, and thus become septic, and of no medicinal value. It is better kept in a closed bin or tin canister with a tight cover.