Litchfield enquirer., 1857-12-03
aarfrNIfurdI.
Cattle and Cold Weather.


The winter is upon us, and our cattle if exposed
to the cold feel it more than any other time OF
the year. They lose flesh faster now than in much
colder weather, unless they kept well. fed with
nutritious food, and are we'll sheltered nights and
days from the cold. The aggregate kss of flesh, in
ANY given district where the prevalent caiciessna
If the comfort of stock obtains perfectly immense
The growth of young cattle is checked, and the
damage they sustain is made good Do you
donbt it? Try it. If you have two pairs of steers
snd you are in tine habit of letting them toughen,
rnd strengthen their constitutions in winter put
one pair through the toughenng process, give them
tss iAuch good hay as they will cat and once day
feed OF roots grain of some knI Or BOTH or corn
stalks cut up and soaked with little meal upon it
tsut know what you give them if it is nothing but
nay ffovide tor the other pain good warm sta
b'e ret them have the same fare concerns extras
md all the hay thsy will cat and be accurate as
the weight or measure OF all they eat. Weigh each
pair TO begin with, and keep .u accurate account OF
"hat IL fed to each, ami at the end of the season.
81 the year. let have the report of your results.
We can anticipate them The stabbed cattle will eat
from one-quafter to fifth less will attain much
kretter weight, will be worth much more in the
market, will outwork the others with ease will
stand much more hard usage and knocking absut
tht experiment has been tried over and over again
with these results, yet the yonng stock 81 md out
End shiver in our bleak winds all winter, in every
'afn1ing town in New England, by the hundred, II
not by the thousand.
COWS. ana COWS coming IN IN TIE spring. arc
more injured than any other Class Of stock by eS-
l's'lre to cold, hunger irregular feeding and
1ering! The natrxal demands of nature upon them,
make it worse than impotic to subject them to
sich exposure. Every farmer knows how snap
ping cold spell in the winter ninishes the milk in
both quantity and quality. and how his cows lose
flesh in fail and winter, that they have picked mp
tne summer and early autumn, but not every
realizes, that if they stand in warm stables they
VIII Keep up in good enough flesh for mich all
winter, and give abundant milk often within SO
snort time OF their coming in that especial pains
Will have to be taken to dry them up. Youatt says
cow in good condition may be MIXED much
longer than poor one. Her abundance of food rem
GERS period of respite almost unnecessary, ard all
that needs to lie taken of u.s. that the old milk
should be fairly gone before the milk springs
Inc emaclated and overmlked ,.st, however, must
rest awhile before she can advantage,usy discharge
The duties of u mother. Were the period of pre,
nancy Of equal length at all times and in all cows
the one that had been well fed might be mkcl till
within fortnight three weeks of parturition :;
while holiday of two months should he granted to
the poorer beast"
These remarks apply almost equally to shelter as
70 food. Sheltered animals not only require less
1"od, but no amount Of food will keep unsheltercd
stock in as good con ltion as Others
we see daily working oxen in the poorest possible
order to 60 through the winter. and know by the
looks OF men, and CARTS and cattle, that they are
gong to stand backed up TO cysry north this
winter. Some of these mornings when the air will
be Keen as razor, and the breath freezes in vou1
nostrlis those poor beasts will be seen on tfe sunny
eide OF rickcty shed, half knee deep in snow and
''rn stalks, with icicles pendant from their chops
n'd their fronts hoary with frost every individual
hair stan9ing on end and the valleys between the
ribs and on the hips drifted full OF snow What
''ndition will they he in to go through the spring
WORK We wonder now how they drag their loads
OF charcoal or whatever, and sin. wonder then how
they drag themselves. The fact ought to he known
ana realized and acted up to- that these cattle vel
shattered Will not eat any more. and will keep in
prime order all winter, and ii in poor now,
will improve every DIZZY.
II the stables arranged, as they should be, all
the manure is saved both solid and liquid, and the
saving here over and above what would he lost in
the yard of the cattle, should stand there most OF
the day. will in many pay for extra trouble Of
stalling them and putting the stables in warm,
comfortable order.
Tie Curry Comb Card, used once day on neat
stock of all kinds and ages will, with clean litter
IN abundance, which will invariably attend the reg
ular operation of the curry-cpmb, be saving Of
food. which will pay for the trouble twice told. 1t
produces a healthy action in the skin and e;rcula-
ton of the blood, that will so far towards keeping
up the warmth of the system, and general healthy
tone.