Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-01-22
Watering Stock In Winter.

PERHAPS there is nothing connected
with farm management that Is so badly
attended TO as the important matter of
supplying cattle with water during the |
winter season. Cattle during this time
get no suCculent food, no green clover
leaves, aud In the majority of instances,
no csculeut roots. Their food is essen
TALLY dried grass-dried almost ~ a crisp
which is sometimes lined or salted To
insure It's better preservation. Thanks
giving, Christmas and New Years, Sun
days aud week days there is little change
from this sort of diet unless 1t is to par
take of something that is drier yet, as
when they get a fOddering from the straw
stack. Occasionally, it is true, they are
treated to a partial meal of chaff, corn
husks, wheat bran or something that is
equally sapless. Their feed is to them
what constant diet of pop corn, hard.
tack and dessicated Goldfish would be to
human beings.
Now what are the facilities for watering
stock that are fed ON this sort of food
Generally an out of door well, situated on
some bleak spot ats goodly distance from
tho farm or barn yard. A mass of slippery
ice surrounds it, and the trough during the
colder weather is lined with ice to a con.
siderable thickness. To this charming
spot the cattle have access, in many cases,
but once day; on which occasion there
Is ordinarily a trial of strength to deter
mine which is entitled to the first draught,
and if the herd be large one, some time
will elapse before all of them can be &C.
commodated.
Now there is a great liability that cattle
which are supplied with water in this
manner will drink inordinately when they
once get the opportunity. The large
amount of water taken in at once will
cool down the system several degrees, will
cause the dry TODD previously eaten to ex
pand, and the animals will suffer great in
convenience from their stomachs
becoming distended. On the otheI
hand, those animals that have
had long To wait after they have been out
OF the stable will lose their desire to drink
after they have become stiffened by cold
and will find their appetite for water re,
turn after they have returned 20 warm
stable, If they are provided with such a
luxury, AT least something of this kind
is experienced by human beings Their
desire for drink increases as their bodies
become warm and decreases as they be,
come cold.
How shall this state Of things be obvi
atedY BY giving the cattle access to water
more frequently than Is now done and by
having the supply Of water where IL will
not become chilled down to its freezinI
point. There are many advantages dur
ing cold and stormy weather in having
supply of water in the stable as is the cas-
in our large cities. Cattle then can quencl
thirst without at the same time takini
cold, as the water would be several degree
warmer than II Il stood out of doors, anC
there would be no need of the cattle be
coming chilled by exposure TO the col,
and storms.
As the matter now stands there Is n
necessity for the supply Of water for cattl
being stinted or afforded only after lon
intervals. We have heard farmers sa
their cattle only needed water once a da,
during winter, and that they would Sc
dom drink more than once If they had tn
opportunity. II this is the case II is th
result of education, and DO far as the we
being of the animal is concerned II is tn
result of a very bad education No dout
COW can be educated to 60 without waite
Tor day as a camel can for week bu
the condition of beth of them is injure
by the abstinence. For an animal TO thriV
on dried grass IL is necessary that II shoul
take along with II an amount of water q
lest proportionate to that which wa
gwen on during the process of curing
PraiTie Farmer.