New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-03-17


end naturoI undulsticn 70 the county ttss with lbs
Ensted character of the farms themselves recall tts
| appearance Of a New England rural distrsc- Gooa
ming land in that vicinity ia valued at ~ TO 20 Per
| acre.
To illustrate the accuracy in estimating the weight =
cattle which Mr.. Srawn has by long experience 40
quired we may state that be informed that be haa
judged lots Of 100 10 800 head Of steers and varied bat
half seore Of pounds from the actual weights a. 81
certsned BY the scales He buys in preference three
and four yearold steers but takes them of all ages
necessary. Getting them in February and March, hs
grazes them through Summer, and until Dscembes,
when he commences to feed. This he formerly did -
early az November because Of having had more cattle
10 given quantity of land than he has at present He
keeps man TO about every hundred head, which, with
bis sysem Encouragement 10 sufficient The ca Ito srs
fed In timber groves and the corn is thrown on tho
ground, stalks and all Just it is hauled from the
field. The allowance per head, when stan feeding, 10
half busheI daily, and the large cattle get even a.
much az three pecks. Two hogs turned In 10 each
steer TO collect TIE waste Mr.. Strawn thinks dxty
bushels large crop of corn, and mrusts the fabulous
stories of yields that sometimes meet US in the papers,
In the old times bis practice in feeding steers was 70
commence in October while the cattle were still In
After feeding them ten days be increased the allow
ance by quart If the cattle were large, and always
feeding at one regular hour. Or if he wished TO gss
them fat soop, he commenced with two feeds OF ave
quarts each by the first OF November by the tenth no
gives two feeds Of six quarts and So increasing sow-
w. he got them up to their full feed only when the cold
weather came if it should be deferred until January.
BY the latter part of January the early part of Feb
ruary he would begin 10 feed that the cattle would
ever have beds of corn and fodder to lie upon. Mr.
Strayn advises the keeping of enough hogs 10 ca, up
tie waste in any event. If he fed heavily be had half
"a many stock cattle as fat cattle to follow He s,s
as soon as hs can do so at moderate profit replacing
the ones sold with other CATTLE for he thinks that the
"nimbe sixpence is better than the slow shilling
His allowance of pasture and corn for each head u
stock s two acres In former tines he bought thres
year-od steers at So and turned them off at $l6; bu'
the prices have 80 advanced that he now pays from
$5 to $50 per head and cells for $50 to $780, profit
is the same as formerly but the capital involved much
greater.
He Paws no attention whatever TO blood in cattle 90
horses but chooses from their appearance alone. The
several anecdotes which he recounted to us as we sat
in the front porch Of his house. fully evnced bis con-
tempt for those who are weak enough to devote them
selves 10 raising blooded stock. His points OF merit
in a farm horse a large eye, bay color.
with heavy black name and tail, round body large
hamstring, short back, long belly fifteen or six
teen hands in hight and to weigh about 200 pounds
For many years he has not let bis stock horses come
into stable, but keeps them running out all Winter
He gives them nothing but hay when the snow Is On
the ground He does not bis colts, but lets them
run with the dams as they would in state Of nature
Last season he wintered over 20 head in this way,
without grain of any description. The whole lot did
not he says eat more than six tups of hay during the
Winter He thinks that he can raise five colts so as 70
be large enough to ue cheaper than he can raise one
steer; but the trouble with them is that large Loo
cannot be sold together for cash. always DO done
with steers.
On high knoll short distance from the house, Mr.
Strawn has made water basin similar to those which
one sees all through Central Kentucky. 1t is twenty
rods long ten wide and ten feet deep. He rallied 10
around and fed corn in the basin TO cattle and hogs,
thus getting the bottom well puddled by the tramphng
of their feet, and making it almost watertght The
heavy rains Of single Winter sufced to pour enough
water into the basin for several hundred bead OF stock,
and we were assured that il had never been dried but
once in twelve years. How many scores Of large farms
there are on the Grand Prairie which the poor cat
lie are watered only in soughs and puddles as chance
permits, would be enhanced in value to wonderful
extent if the would make these water basins on
the highest portions of the land!
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