Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1861-01-18
Tor Tn, Oxford D,mocrat.
Care OF Stock in Winter.---No. /.
"sFEKp ruErLOw."

YoHar aris,als should r,crtr~ srira
fed aai aii,aiisE. .-ts.diHg thrc i'r's' d
Sgv aof adrisabs.- lihy us and AR er'
rersssarv z, fAe hath q aHiHpal.
Every season has Tor the farmer its ap'
rrOpriaic and varying work , and that OF
winter brings ham often among his domestic
animals. a. their sus,enancc and shelter ar
mostly provided BY hi. care and dlAbOr. On
tbess subjects oTer a iew suggestions.
Most farmers have more or lc-s eoa-sc
fodder, such as poor hay, eOrn-fodder, straw,
sc and many farmers commence feeding
their cattle on ,be-e exclusively, the hrs,
par, o. the winter, until they are uset up.
have found by experiences ,ha, /, i. not a
GOD plan 10 con6ne stock too long at a
time o. one kind OF diet, csPeciall, the kinds
above named. Cattle and sheep sem to
Ike change OF food as well as man. and
when kep, in good condition they APPEAR to
relish ioddcrius Of mcadow.hay, corn
fodder. or straw, occasionally; but u fed
ert.rcly On such fodder the 6rst half Of the
winter. they lose Ge-h. aud will B. apt 70
come out in the spring in poor condition.
unles. allowed an occasional feed Of grain
or roots Of some kind. in addition to good
En,h.h hay. am fully convinced tha,
stock Of al kinds. and especially young cat
tie. should have a. good feed and attention
tie fr.i part of the winter as a, any time
durin. the iOdlerins season. M l have
hintcd. Young stock should receive, II any
thing, better keeping than older animals,
All farmers work Cor prO6i, and Il follows
that the better animals are fed, and the
more comfortable they are kept, the more
profitable they are. Then, II you wish to
raise iull-sitcd. well.developSd animals. you
must give the young creatures plenty OF
good. nutritious food. l DO not mean by
p'.-iy. that they should Be ksp, fat like
show Seeve.. f0r ,ha; would be an unhealthy
coodii,on bat that they should be kept IN
good growing condition. .-and this they
should Do until they reach maturity. II
thsy are suffered 10 got poor, aud stop
growing. they will rerOsrade, and never
attain a full siIo and without grain. or
something better than hay. il J. next TO
impossible to keep them in that direei0n'
especially the first winter.
The question may be asked, II we DO not
u,e up our poor hay, eorn-s,Alk', straw
&c. the fore part OF the winter, when shall
W. use ihems answer, IN mid.winier
Ny experience teaches me that this IS the
Be-, time and farmers Of experience aud
ob.sryatiju cav that during the months oi
January and February i the be, time 70
u.s up coarse fodder IL has been said that
c5rn.foilsr j. worth as much a. common
stock hay. concur in this opinion whsn
IL !, fed in couuection with hay. but, as |
have aiI elsewhere. cattle should never be
compelled q live entirely on such fare any
leus-, of time. as il makes their teeth sore
when kept On this food exclusively. AcOoi
vay : 10 give them two foddsrins. Of corn
fodder a day. the Jas, ioIlerins' moruiu:
ana night. as then they would be allowed
time 70 eat them, o.peciAlly the fodderins
atnisht. when a pretty stou; allowance can
tc given them, as they will usually eat them
W u-arly clean by morning.
Here the question may properly come uP.
.hall cattle 30 Eel three iimcs a day /
answer. no. | think It no; only unneces-
sary. 5ut injurious. Ba; a. you will wan,
s5me,hin. more than the bare assertion, II
you please, we will look into the philoso-
Ply off, a little. lfyou turn COW or an
OK into field or pasture where there -
suGcsut sras. 10 enable Il TO iill itseli IA a
short time. It will eat with aviliiS for an
hour Or two. apI then seek rcPo-e, ~hen,
al,er an hour or 80, the rumiuatins process
i. c1mm,uccd. aud continued Tor three or
four hours more. The fool j, IN this way
thoroughly masticatci aud mixed with
saliva telJre il enters the second stomach to
h acted on by ,he gastric juice and disesied.
The rtocc,s OF digestion will Occapy four or
Eve hours more. There wall Dc then, al
loving an hour aud bali for eaiins, one
hour fJr re.t. three bours for ruminaiion,
and four or Eve tOr digestion. ten or eleven
hour. between the ;,mc- when an animal
would naturally need feeding Consequent
". il the animal is Ted a, o \. NJ, and
again q, noon. the rumlna,in: process is not
completed aud e fed a; > 4. NJ, ii will
NJ, give the animal saieieni time 20 mas
,icate the food. even by adopting the habit
Of the most inveterAts q" ehewer" OF the
bipclll species, aud keeping It's grinders in
constant motion - that At the hest. there
mus. be.fyrceI on the digestive organ. a
portion Of the food Improperly ma.iica,ed,
causiu: an extra amount Of labor Tor these
organs. aud at the rex " enseuderiuS dis
ease
"Tvice. iseding." that Is, feeding saG
eient number Ot tunes morning and night,
i, universally praeIieed 10 this vicinity
and those who formerly prasiissd the
method Of iecCiiug thres times q day, but
have abandoned ii, give il as their opinion
tha, nearer equality OF aesh IS kept Up III
herd. bs.ids- saving Of considerable
amount Of tune and labor is effected by
adopting the method Of twice feeding.
I doubt the utilty Of the practice o'
keeping cattle in the barn longer than tC
give them their regular meals. in moderate