Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1869-06-26
AN important Matter Overlooked.


Herbivorous animals emigrate
from cold regions to milder climates
when the winter approaches, IN or
der to obtain their natural food, 10
wit: succulent green grass, &c. |
When we consider the fact that it |
takes . or s hundred pounds OF grass /
to make 100 pounds Of dry hay, and |
and also the quantity of water that |
cattle drink, even when fed on such |
grass. we are prepared 10 Judge OF the |
quantity of water necessary to the |
health and thrift OF animals in their |
natural state. ana can see at once, |
that in the artificial state III which |
theX~are kept III our climate, six
InoHths nearly in the year, they 10
not drink ia winter the quantity
necessarily required FOR natural
I'll lit and productiyeness-
In former article on miIch cows,
their feed &c, we stated that the dry
iced should all be cut, all kinds he
mixed together with the gram and
soaked, or gently steamed and thus
be made to approach rs near as pos
slble tn succUlent green grass. Thus
fed, cattle require less water. Cows
and other cattle kept as warm as
they should be kept % produce the
largest quantity of milk and the
greatest thrift, when required to
drink cold water, will not take the
necessary quantity, bat will acquire
the habit of going without water
Water is as essential to the pro-
| ductiOn and to the excellence Of
meat, milk and growth rs hay or
| grain. Both contain, to i certain
| extent, the same original chemical
| elements or compounds. Grass, the
nf tap l.
| therefore the better feed. Whether
the carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and
| hydrogen, ard inorganic matter,
which constitutes all animals and
| their products, ia taken directly in
the food, or is manufactured differ
| emily in the chemical laboratory
within the animal itself from the
| feed, is wholly immateri;I The
| facts that these elements compose
the animal, and that water as well
as hay and other feed is composed to
a certain extent of some Of the same
elements, make it logical to infer
| that water nourishes and builds up
the animal as well as hay or grain.
| Therefore it is reasonable to infer
| that cattle may as well go without
a sufficient quantity of one "a the
other, and will not grow and thrive
unless they drink much more water
| when kept on dry feed than when at
grass, and that any diminution of
| the quantity of water required nat
urally for the health and thrift of an
animal, is not only injurious to the
animal, but makes all else fed them
less productive, whether the lessened
quantity taken is the result of an ac-
quired habit or of neglect. This is
proved by the more profitable and
larger results realized from feeding
cut feed, where the quantity fed was
80 per cent. less than is ordinarily
fed when dry fodder is used. Equal
| ly important is it that cattle should
have their water warm or far above
the freezing point
| We are happy to find the concIu-
sions of our own experience and rea-
soning confirmed by a cOmmunica-
ton made TO the French Academy
of Sciences by Mons. DuvaI, who
says "that if COWS are excited to
| drink large quantities OF water, the
| quantity of milk can he increased
several quarts per day, without inn
| pairing its quality materially. Cows
which fed OH dry fodder gave only 9
and II quarts per day, that once gave
/ II and II quarts when their food was
I moistened-' Why should the ONy-
! gen and hydrogen of water, any
more than of grass, impair the quail
! ~ OF the milk OF the growth Of the
animal2
! Now, whatever viii increase the
/ milk and butter viii generally in
crease the growth and thrift of ami
mails; and We have net II shadow Of
/ doubt that animals suffer more in
winter from the want Of the uoce4-
sary quantity of water than from
/ that Of feed, and that nearly % per
cent. more cattle could ha WIntefed
/ with our present means by adoptin"
/ 4 more rational, scientific and natu-
/ raj method Of ftcdin" cattle during
winter. The bad condition of cattle
/ comes more from the want of water
/ than of hay. Tine extra labor re-
/ quircd in feeding thus would be far
| less than the amount required To
! produce the feed NOW wasted and
! virtually thrown away. All who
/ have adopted the system of cutting,
/ Wetting and soaking feed for cattle
/ in winter unanimously testify to its
/ great economy and IL the necessity
/ OF more water for cattle in winter
! than they are willing usually TO
/ take cold and freezing in the trough
/ while shivcring with the cold. The
/ watering trough should be in u warm
\ and protected place, where the wa
/ ter Will not freezJ.
| This is an important matter now
/ when the cost of cattle feed is so
/ high and its production so expen-