American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1866-01-24
agsieultural department.
Feeding Grain to Stock Proftably.

Feeding Grain to Stock Proftably
t-There Z is class of, farmers, ant
perhaps some among them read the
american .Agrtcultatrist, who still
question whether it win pay to feed
animals the grain which they them.
selves raise. They have not salts
fed themselves by their own expert
ence in making beef, mutton, OF
pork. If grain be properly fed to
animals Of a good breed, there is nc
doubt about its being usually a pay
ing operation; but fed out unground
and irregularly, if the animals are
ever so good, it seldom pays. There
is difference, also, in the manner
of.computirg the gains which usual
ly accrue from the grain consumed
by animals. A good portion of the
profits of converting grain into meat
of any kind, cannot be realized by
the sale of the meat; for many times
an animal will not sell for as much
money as the grain and hay it has
consumed while fattening. In view
of this fct alcne, feeding grain ap-
pears to be a poor practice. Never
theless, multitudes of the best farm
ers of cur country sell but little grain,
others sell none at all, while many
purchase much more than they raise
on their own land, and feed it all to
stock of some kind, and yet derive a
paying profit from the business
Others attempt it and fail because
they feed poor stock, not vel pur-
chased nor selected, or because they
do not feed with proper system, nor
preserve with sufficient care the solid
and liquid manure of the fattening
animals. In fact, it is in the manure
alone that the greater part of the
profit of fattening beef, sheep and
swine consists, to most of the farmers
of the United States, and the rest OF
the cimlized world. The more ma
nure, and the better saved, the great,
er the profit, even in Illinois.
The way to begin is, to get good
animals and to put them in fair or
der on grass. Meat can be made on
grass in warm weather more cconom-
jcally than on any other feed. Those
persons who attempt to make beef OF
poor cows and bullocks, or mutton Of
poor sheep, by feeding hay and grain,
without commencing on grass, will
never make out we'll.
When one intends to prepare a lot
of bullocks or sheep for marketing IN
the spring, he should commence feed
ing a small quantity of grain per
head as soon as grass begins to fail
for in passing from grass to hay, they
should not be allowed to lose any Of
the flesh or fat that has accumulated
during the grazing season. If by
irreguIarity of feeding, or by expos
ure to torms, or by short allowance;
of feed, an animal is required to use
up q pound of fat to maintain the
heat and to supply the natural wastes
of the body, it will take several days
to replace the small amount that ha;
been lost by this bad management
Every animal should be fed enough
to keep it improving little eyerg
day. Some bullooks require more
meal than others, and the same is
true Of sheep. A dry COW or bul.
lock three or four years old, designed
for beef next May or June, should
receive not less than two quarts OF
Indian corn meal, or its equivalent
in some other ggaia, during the
months of December and January
After this, the quantity may be in,
creased at pleasure, and should al
ways be increased from month to
month, according to the feeding ca
pacity of the animal, the calculation
being to finish off the fattening with
ten to twenty days grazing, without
reducing the quantity of grain. In
addition to this amount of meal they
should have fodderlng OF hay, once
daily, and one of cornstalks, and q
few hours daily in a yard with access
to good straw. fla farmer has q
power cutter, it is far more econom,
ical to chaff the hay, straw and corn
stalks, wet it, and mingle the mea'
with it, Feed prepared in this man,
ner, is better for sheep as we'll as neat
cattle and horses. The use of OF
meal for beef animals must be regu
lated on the same principles, as q
substitute for part of the neal
Wethers aud dry ewes should receive
nearly or quite one pound of Indiar
corr or corn meal per head daily, OF
what is better, half pound of OF
meal and half {. pound of corn OF
of barley meal mixed. 1t is folly tc
attempt to make meat in cold wealth.
er, without complete protection from
oold and wet.-Amcrican Ag,tculta
rist.