Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1856-01-11
Winter Feeding.


The farmers Of the north have
their time pretty equally divided in
to two great seasons,-lhe produc-
ing season and the feeding out sea-
son.
Winter constitutes The feeding out
season, and when the producing sea-
son has been unsuccessful and the
winter long and cold, il requires
skill, prudence, and good manage
ment, to make both ends meet, as
they say. Yet the number of farm
ers who trouble themselves about a
particular study of economy in these
matters, are not So many as there
should be. Most of us follow a sort
of stereolyped routlne--a common
course, which course is founded up
on the principle, that there is enough
and 10 spare, and the less thought
and labor about 1t, the more gain-
in time at least. This is not right,
even if we have enough and to spare.
Economy, where there is an abund-
ance, will ofientimes be the means Of
supplying some place, or somebody
where there is much lack and need.
Let us name few items, where
little expense will be ultimately great
gain.
A few years ago, we were called
twice during the winter 10y a neigh |
Dor, who fed roots to his cattle, to
assist him in relieving cattle that had |
got choked by them. His potatoes
he threw over TO them whole, and his
turnips he cut with sharp shovel
haphazard. Thus cut, some pieces
were small, and some were large,-
some long, and some short. As
matter OF course some of them stuck
IN the throat, and then, lohora,
boys" the old COW is choked, and
half the neighborhood called togeth-
or TO relieve her. Now root cut
ter would not only save time in cut
ting, but render The danger of such
occurrences impossible. Just set
down and cipher up the economy of
having one. Pot the cost down, s 10.
Allow ten per cent per annum for
interest and wear and tear, this will
be 81 Now for the credit side.
put DOWNFALL an hour per day saw
ed in cutting, at ten cents an hour,
(and that you will think cheap en-
ough will be five cents a day, and
hundred days will half pay that
bill. Then put down the saving OF
half day OF three or four nelghbors
each who will not need to be called
TO help you unchoke any Of your
stock. Then put down the POSSIBLE
saving Of valuable COW, or OK or
steer. Then put down the saving
yourself the anxiety and trouble of
mind naturally felt when any of your
stock are choked and liable to die
from that cause. IF all those saw
lngs do not prove the economy OF
the outlay for a good root cutter, we
give it up. We will just add that
roots cut in this way are boiled much
quicker if you wish to COOK them for
swine and poultry. They can also
be mixed Intimately with cut straw
or cut hay, which is no doubt the best,
way TO feed them 10 cattle, sneep or
horses.
We will add one more hint in re-
gard to feeding corn to poultry in
the winter. We find it good econo-
my 10 grind the corn and cobs to-
gether fine for poultry. They will
eat il Just as well and as readily as
II the cobs were not there. In this
way you turn your cobs into eggs and
chickens. We have this winter fed
such meal out to hens, geese and
ducks. We put il into a shoal trough,
made by lacking together boards four
inches wide, like V, and give it To
them dry. 1t all disappears before
them, and does them good Hens
and other poultry, you know, like I o
have some grass TO eat, and they do
better if fed during the winter with
some substitute for grass, then il fed
upon nothing but dry grain. The
corn cob is somewhat like grass 10
its chemical ingredients. To these,
cabbage, ruta bagas and apples, cut
fine, may be added, all Of which they
will eat readily and thrive upon, If
they have enough, even in mid win
ter.