, 1868-11-20
wIs.srlnE Farn s,ock.

as "iuter approches the farmer is re-
minded that his live stock can no longer
wander in the fields and collect their food
from day to day. The grass has ceased to
grow. The frost has bound up the surface
Of the fields in its cold embrace, and the
cattle are attracted towards the stable with
hunger, lowing as they go. to draw the att
tention of the herdsmen to their dependent
position, pleading for something to eat.
The barns are well stored with hay and
grain stacks and ricks Of hay and fodder
surround the barns and stables, as a corps de
reserue, showing the thriRness and foresight
Of the industrious hrmer in providing for
the coming winter; but what Of winter?
We readily perceive when it begins, but
who can predict when it will end? Some
winters are short aud pleasant, but we can
only discover this when we arrive at the
other end. Some are very long aud very
severe-these are the ones we should make
our calculations by, and enter into them as
cautions general enters into a campaign
Graduate the quantity Of stock by the
amount of food in store, if you have too
much stock, dispose of part if TOO little
add more, better too little than too much,
always bearing in mind that it pays better
to keep stock we'll than to keep it poor.
Here we come to a point where many
farmers greatly err. They look over the
large accumulation of food they have provid.
ed for wintering their stock; (and stop
here to give them credit for their industry
and perseverance, in gathering so much and
curing it well.) Some people think that
when butter is plenty it should be spread
thick on the bread, without thinking it may
sometimes become scarce, and then the
bread will not be eaten with 80 good relish
with thinner spread, or with out any at all.
So with the winter fodder-they begin to
feed very lavishy at the commencement of
winter; not only avishly, but wastefully.
thinking that so large amount of food can
hardly be eaten by their stock during the
winter forgetting that the winter may be
very long one.
There is deeper view of the matter, and
one that is worth looking into. All that
farmer grows on his farm is worth money
worth DOLLARS that is the word-tak of
DOLLARS and every one can appreciate it.
Now, all this hay, aud straw, and corn, and
oats, can be converted into DOLLARS. A
farmer will not scatter his dollars about care,
lessly, but he will sometimes waste or let 20
to waste, that which if properly applied, can
be converted into dollars.
The important question presents itself
here-how all this great accumulation of
stock food can converted into the most mon.
ey. Not by throwing 1t in large quantities
before the stock to be lrampled under their
feet.
This, you say, will make manure so it
will, but at what cost ? Did the farmer toll
and sweat and hire help during the whole
summer to collect all this great amount of
fodder merely to make manure? Better to
have left it where it grew on the ground, by
which the additional advantage OF mulching
would have been secured. Valuable as is
manure, it may be purchased too dear. Do
you suppose tIat stock will thrive any bet
ter by having laSe quantities of food contin.
ually at their disposal to either eat or waste?
No, they will not thrive so we'll. The appe-
tite becomes clOyed AID vitiated by the very
abundance presented to them through kind
ness-they select the most palatable parts
and reject the remainder, they thus cuIti-
vate tastidious appetite th at becomes more
and more critical every day.
Stock will thrive better with just as much
food given as they will east up 'lean This
should be at stated periods and regularly at
tended to. If by feeding econO uically
large surplus is found to be on hand at the
end of the season, it is better than to have
wasted it; but it would have been better and
more profitable to have added more stock,
which would have yielded more profit. Dou't
waste the food, nevertheless; your fields
may not yield SO abundantly the next season,
and your hay being well secured will lose
none of its virtues BY being kept over
American Stock Journal