Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1864-12-10
Winter Care Of Stock,

months. While IL is a true saying that stock
| well winteTed is half summered, il is equally
| true that stock coming to the barn in the fall
in good condition and in good heart, can be
wintered much more cheaply than that which
\ comes in poor condition. It Is almost impos-
sible for the most skillfu1 manager to bring
an animal from low to fair or high condi-
ton on hay alone--the usual feed for young
cattle, sheep, and colts during vinter-but in
good state of health and flesh on the APP
! .proach of winter, with a suitable amount
| of hay, their condition may and should be
kept good, and the young stock growing un-
til the season for turning them again to grass.
| This can only be done BY careful and regular
| feeding, good, pure water, and suitable shell
! ter from the most inclement weather during
> the winter months of our northern climate.
Variety of food is very essential to the thrift
of most animals, while it is too often disre-
garded by those having care of them. No
good breeder will overlook this most import
| ant matter.
Roots, such as turnips, carrots, etc, can be
produced in great abundance upon almost
any farm in the country, and are very great
help TO exc out short supply of hay, while
they are of the greatest advantage to almost
any kind of farm stock. At the present high
price of all kinds of grain, there are but few
| farmer that will feed it, especially to store
cattle or sheep. Its place may be supplied in
great measure by roots, and that farmer is
wise who has laid in good quantity for win
| ter feeding. A little corn in this way will.
often times, save whole locks and herds from
diseases Incidental to insufficient keep or
want of change in feed.
Young animals particularly should be well
fed and cared for though the first winter of
| their existence. 1t is too often the case that
calves, colts, and lambs are neglected and
Il If RI IL. IL
and as a consequence are barely able to get
| from the barn to pasture in the spring. In
this condition it takes almost the entire grass
season to recover what flesh and strength
they have lost during the winter, for want of
| that care and comfort that common humanity
would seem to dictate. The most successful
| breeders and stock raisers give the utmost
attention to their young animals through their
| first winter, and are sure that they have good
shelter, the best of food, and abundance of
pure water at all times. Their growth should
at no time be checked for want of attention
to these important considerations.
While every branch of husbandry requires
The closest and more careful attention Of an
interested and skillful manager, none suffers
for want of it so much as stock during the
| season.-Ame1ieaa Stock Journal
ABOUT Ice HoUsEs.-In the Prairie Farmer
ed article on ice houses. We believe our
people generally should pay more intention
TO the preservation of ice for summer use.
| 1t will pay them well to do so.
After describing two very excellent and
cheap styles of iee-houses the Farmer says;
Much less expensive methods, than by
houses constructed after either of the above
plans have been adopted by different parties,
A gentleman informs US that ice may be kept
| through the season in common cellar, by
| making large box-say sufficient to hold
couple of cords of ice-which box is placed
| inside larger one of similar form, packing
| the usual amount of tan bark or sawdust in
the space between the two. The two boxes
of course answer to the double sides of an
| ice-house. Have part of the cover made
so that it can be easily removed for the pur-
pose of filling and for taking out, and pipe
at the bottom to drain the box, il connecting
with the cellar drain.
The ice house should be located as much in
the shade as possible; on a slope to the north
is favorite location.
A man of very common ingenuity, and but
little practiced in the use of tools, can easily
construct his own ice house or box, and thus
reduce the cost to simply the lumber and
nails.
Cut the ice when from nine inches to a foot
or more in thickness. A less thickness will
answer, but it viii not keep as well. Some
also claim that il will not melt so readily in
the ice house, if the cakes are placed edge
wise, instead of being laid upon the side.-
Cut the ice on a very cold day, and let it re-
main exposed to the weather for several
hours before packing"
Crops IN EURoPE-The bimonthIy report
of the Agricultural Department states that
France will be unable to send any wheat to
the English market the coming year, that
much of the wheat of northern Europe is in
iured by wet weather, and that the hay, oats
and root crops of Great Britain are greater
failure than has been known to the present
generation of English farmers. The great
scarcity of food for farm stock in Great Brit
ain must create an active demand for Ameri-
can indian corn, which we will be able to
supply having nearly as much to spare for
export as in 1868, although the crop is S.
GA, 902 bushels less than in 1862, because we
have nearly two millions of hogs less to fat
ten. Some English farmers state that they
have enough fodder and roots to keep their
stock with great economy until the last of
November. The turnip crop was an entire
failure; no second crop of hay could be Sc
cured because the stock had to eat it as fast
as it grew to keep from starving. Besides,
farm stock being nearly all poor is untitled
for the butcher and must be kept over or
killed and thrown away, which increases, in
stead of diminishing the difficulty. Linseed
cake is worth $50 per ton.- The wheat crop
is injured by wet all over northern Europe
and badly sprOuted in limited localities and
England must look to this country, where the
quality is superior, indeed never better, for
her supply of corn and wheat. The Report
anticipates the probability of high prices for
all grains next spring and summer.
Cows-Cows must be sheltered, groomed,
well fed and cared for. A cow should 60 in
the barn when the first cold weather comes
on in the autumn and stay there till it is over
in spring. OF course the stables should be
well ventilated Cows kept in the barn
through the winter do Just as well as those
which are let out. Air, light, good water
and good food are essential
The attachment of cow to farm is won
derful. If a cow is sold from farm and Ia
ken to a strange place, she longs to get back,
and rarely or never does so well as a mixer
as she did before The extra product of
cows raised on a farm over those purchased
and brought thither is a strong argument in
favor of the dairy man breeding his own herd
Cows LEAKING MmK-A correspondent of
the Rural once said he cured a COW by bath
ing her teats, previous to her making bag,
with melted tallow, every three or four days
till she calved. 1t can be done after milking
as well when the bag is empty. There is an
article called Collodion or Liquid Cuticle,
which NAV he obtained of druOCists Annlv