Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1868-10-23
Wiutcrlng Farm Stock.

AS WINTER approaches the larmer IL re-
minded that his live stock can no longer
wander over 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 en-
brace, and the cattle are attracted towards
| the stable with hunger, lowing as they go,
TO draw the attention of the hcrdsmen to
their dependent position, pleading for
something to cat
The barns are well stored with hay and
grain; stacks and riCks of hay and fodder
surround the barns and stables, as corps
do rfscrno, showing the thriitincss and fore.
sight of tho industrious farmer in provid-
ing for the coming winter; but what of
wintery We readily perceive when it be-
gins, but who can predict when IL will endi
Some winters are short and pleasant, but
we can only discover this when wo arrive
at the farther end, Some are very long
and very severo-thcse are the ones we
should make our calculations by, and en-
ter into them as n cautious general enters
into campaign. Graduate the quantity
of stock by the amount of feed 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 il
pays better to keep stock well, than to
keep il poor
Here we come to u point where many
| farmers greatly err. They look over the
large accumulation of food they have pro-
| vidod for wintcring their stock land
stop here to give them credit for their in
dustry and perseverance in gathering So
much and curing II SO well Some peo-
pie think that when butter is plenty II
should be spread thick ON the bread, with
out thinking that il may sometime become
| hnt Nxffl ~ lao, naN
en- with so good relish with thinner
spread, or without any at all. So with the
winter foddcr-they begin to feed very
lavishly at the commencement of winter
not only layishly but wastCfully, thinking
that so large an 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: Al
that farmer grows ON his farm Is worth
m0Hey-worth dollars; that is the word
talk of dollars andieVory one can approci
ate IT, Now, all this hay, and straw, and
corn, and oats, can be converted into d@
lars. A farmer will not scatter his dollars
about carelessly, but he will sometimes
waste or let go TO waste, that which, 4
properly applied, can DO converted into
, dollars.
The important question presents itsel
here-how all this great accumulation o
stock food can be converted into tho mos
money! Not by throwing II in largI
quantities before the stock TO be trampleC
under their feet This, you say, win MAKE
manure so il win but at what costy DiC
the farmer toll and sweat and hire hell
, during the whole summer 10 collect al
this great amount Of fodder merely L
make manureg
Better to have lefl II where II grew OF
the ground, by which the additional ad
vantage OF mulching would have beer
, secured. Valuable as is manure, il may
be purchased too dear. Do you suppos;
that stock will thrive any better by having
, large quantities of food continually a
their disposal to either eat or wasteY No
, they will not thrive so well. The appetit,
I becomes cloyed and vitiated by the very
r abundance presented TO them through
kindness-they select the most palatabl
z parts and reject the remainder and thu
0 cultivate fastidious appetite that be
J, comes more and more critical every day.
:, Stock will thrive better with just a
Q much food given them as they will eat nj
g clean. This should be at stated period
? and regularly attended TO- If by Feeding
/ economically large surplus is found TO b
on hand at the end of the season, II is bet
!" ter than TO have wasted II but II woul'
,e have been better and more profitable 4
r have added more stock which would hav
y yielded more proiit Don't waste the foot
In nevertheless your fields may not yield s
abundantly the next season, and your ha
rs being well secured viii lose none of il
70 virtues by being kept over