Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1861-02-21
THE FARM. GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD
Economy of Food in Stall Feeding.

Economy of Food in Stall Feeding.
How to fatten cheapestp that is the question.
Fitting an animal for the butcher, is an art that
can only be learned by study and practice FIT
teen, twenty, twenty-five per cent, in the value
of food may be saved by the man who knows
how. The question of economical fattening in
cludes several others the quantity of food to
be given at time; variety of food; regularity |
of feeding; cooking tood warmth and quiet
of the stalls, and other items. Mutitudes who
have animals to fatten have never conducted |
any experiments to satisfy themselves upon
these points, and have no access to reliable in
formation So each man feeds what is most
convenient, and in the manner most convenient, |
and never can tell whether he has gained or lost
by the animal he sells to the butcher. TO an
swer several inquiries we offer some hints upon
these topics.
The preparation of food is a matter Of very
great importance. Stalks, hay, roots, grain,
&c., do not impart all their nutritive qualities,
unless they are artifcially prepared. Much is
fouled so that the animals will not eat it, and
much more is imperiecty masticated so that it
is not digested and assimated. 1t should be
SO prepared that the animal can have all the
nourshment with the least expenditure of mus
cular energy The less trouble fattening ami
mails have, the better for their thrift. The OK,
in a poor pasture, will not thrive as in a stall
upon green, cut grass, though he consume in
each case the same quantity of food. The sheep
will not thrive upon whole roots and grain,
we'll as when they are cut and ground. The pig
does better upon meal than upon corn, and bet
ter still il the meal be softened and swelled by
cooking. All food should be given to fattening
animals in such state that they may fill their
stomachs and give themselves up to rest, and
rumination, if they belong to the ruminants.-
If farmer is to fatten animals, it will pay him
abundanty to invest in cutting machines for
hay stalks and roots, and in boiler and steam
box.
Stalks and rough corn-fodder are generally
more than half wasted as usually fed. Run
them through the cutter and steam them an hour
or two, with little meal, and they will be eaten
up clean. Straw, roots and meal are much bet
ter after steaming, and more highly relished.
Full feeding is another item of great impor
lance in fattening. The object is not to get la
Dor or milk but the greatest amount of flesh
and fat possible for the quantity of food con-
sumed. The ANIMAL therefore, should have all
the food he will eat up clean, and be stimulated
to eat at frequent intervals from three to five
times day, according to circumstances. The
bullock that is stuffed one day and starved the
next, may have the desired streak of fat and
lean, but he will be very expensive animal.
A variety of food is essential to keep up the
appetite under full feeding. Even the pig will
tire OF Dut one tnlnT. IN luttenlnp we want
both bulk and ailment in the fodder. If t ere
be stalks straw and hay, there should also be
meal. If we have roots we should also have
hay and meal. Perhaps there is nothing better
than roots to keep up the appetite. They as
sist digestion and keep the bowels open. The
beef and mutton of England are very largely
made of turnips, bects and mangel wurtzels-
A change in some of the items of food
should be made as often once week. II
we have steamed stalks and meal with sliced
turnips one week, change the turnips to beets
or carrots the next. The meal and roots being
the same, the stalks may be changed for hay OF
the hay and roots being the same, Indian mea
may be changed for linseed oil meal, or for any
kind of grain meal convenient to feed.
Regular hours of feeding is another element
of success in fattening stock. This may seen
small matter, but really more depends upor
it than on almost anything else The mos
economical pork maker we ever knew was
blacksmith who always fed his pigs at mea
time, and his meals were regulated by the clock
Everybody admired his knack ut making fu
pigs, but everybody did not know his secret
feeding by the clock. 1t is surprising to SCI
how readily an animal forms regular habits
The bullock, the pig. the sheep, looks for tn,
stated allowance as regularly as the clock strikes
and if his wants are Systematically met an i'm
provement in condition is manifest.
fed rregularly they may consume the sam
amount of food, but they become restless ant
uneasy. The animal Of regular habits rests o
ruminates Immediately after eating, and the fooc
is perfectly digested and turned to flesh ant
fat.
Quiet should be secured so far as possible
especially during feeding hours. For this rea
son stall feeding where each animal is confined
to a small enclosure, is much better than pas
turage or large open yards, where cattle worr,
each other, and may he intruded upon at an,
time by dogs, or noisy men and boys. All an
finals fatten better in the dark than in the opel
light-a fact difficult to account for, except tina
they are more quiet in dark secluded place.
With these preliminary hints as to the man
ner OF giving food, we now come to the food it
self. What shall be given so that the butche
may not be cheated, and we get our pay for thu
fodder consumedP A farmer must not expec
to get the market price for what he feeds to tn
failing. If he gets 10 per cent he will max
money by the manure, if he know how to say,
it. This is the great advantage of stal-feedint
cattle for the butcher and if man has not
use for the manure upon his own land we doub
if the business can be made to pay. 1t is con
sidered more than an average thrift, if an o,
gains two pounds per day, worth not to exceed
sixteen cents. The feed must be less in valu
than this per day, or the farmer will lose hi
time and make nothing by the operation. Al
worth half as many cents, or its equivalent i
other kinds of provender. An OK would read
lily eat eight quarts of meal day, and thi
alone, in the old States, would be worth the tw
pounds of beef. 1t is quite manifest, then, tina
the manure making is the only thing that vii
make stall-feedng pay in the North and Fast.
Our climate and soil are so genial that W
nave large list of feeding stufs which can b
grown upon every farm. Al the head of thes
we place Indian corn for fattenng purposes
linen we nave oats, buckwheat and rye the sew
erai grasses apples among the fruits, cabbage
turnlps, parsnips, carrots, beets and potatoes
Then if we purchase, we have lnseed and cot
ton seed on CAKE ground into meal-both ex
amount of nutritve matters contained in Ioo
parts of several vegetable substances EXAMINE,
in the green state Wheat $50, barley 900 oat
743, rye 1902, beans $40, potatoes 26O to 20C
linseed cake 1854, red beet l4S, white beet 1876