Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1871-03-21
TIE HERAl ID.
Essay on Fattening Cattle.
Read bofcre the ELK Grove Farmer., C,.h hx
%. NJ. Richards.


Mr.. Chairman, and Gentlemen the
question for discussion this evening
Is of great Importance To US farmers.
and TO the community generally.
1t has been said no cattle, no ma
nure 10 manure, no crop, or in 9th
er words cattle are by common con-
sent the best animals TO convert its
product into manure. As we cannot
keep cattle for the pnrposs OF max
ing manure alone. and a. the end OF
all cattle kind is sooner or later ex-
pc ted 10 be beef. tho quest n
Is properly asked how We can fat.
Zen them the cheapest. 1t is ar
gued by some and with a good show
OF reason that grass is the cheapest
and best food for cattle, that it will
put on more weight in given length
of time than any thing else. Admit
ting all this, yet the fact is before US
that we want fas cattle all of the
ime, in winter as well as 10 summer,
and we also want the coarse pro-
ducts Of the farm such as hay, straw
and corntOdder, converted into ma
| nure. 1t would be impossible 10
,upply the market with grass fat
ened cattle So it is a matter of
necessity if not one of choice that
@e shall feed cattle. Some argue
shat grain cannot be fed TO cattle
with profit, that the hog is the only
animal that will make flesh at prot
1t out Of grain.
Ii is true have known greai
deal of good corn fed to cattle where
it took sixty bushels TO make two
hundred lbs. Object The grain took
the place of shelter. IL kept up the
vital functions of the animal and
made the beef besides. 1t is equally
true that | have known of vast guam
titles of corn fed TO hogs that go
bushels did not make more than 300
lbs. of pork, and doubt as hogs are
usually fed if the average is much
more. 1t is fact known to every
one that it takes certain amount
Of food to sustain an animal so that
he will neither gain nor lose in flesh,
and that it takes very much more in
our chm ate if that animal is expos,d
to all of the severity of the weather
during our long winters. do not
think that any one will dispute the
assertion that he who keeps On ami
NAL and feeds 80 as to junt keep him
where he is, has lost both his labor
and his feed, the only return he gets
= the manure and poor at that Ii
ae suffers him TO fall off he has los.
abor, feed and part of his anlmai
Now l am well convinced from d
long experience in feeding cattle in
all imaginable ways-l have fed in
d or> and out, whole corn, and ground
cJrn. aud cooke d have turned them
lnto corntield t. help themselves
that IT we protect our cattle from
the storms aud cold, and feed with
cheap coarse food such as hay, straw
or cOrnfodder, we can sustain them
or in other words run the machine
that grain properly fed to them
will give as great and even greater
returns than if fed to hogs. In
stall feeding it is absolutely neces.
sary that your cattle should be sc
arranged that every one should get
his proper share Of food with abso
lutte certainty and perfect regularity
This hap-hazard way of feeding
where some eat more than they
should, and others do not get enough
is to DO abominated by all good feed.
ers OF cattle. And | would say far.
ther that the eye of the feeder
should be ever on his stock that he
should not feed at any one time more
than they will eat up clean.
In speaking of the kind and prep.
aration of food for fattening cattle |
cannot do better than to quote l.. f
Allen. He says, finely cut hay or
cornfodder with finely ground corn
meal is the very best way possible to
put flesh on any Illuminating animal,
nd hat the fodder should be so pro-
portioned as to fill the stomach, with
meal enough added to give all the
nourishmont necessary in the way OF
fattening." These proportions will
have to be varied according as the
weather is mild or severe, less grain
being required ia mild weather and
more in severe this must be mat
ter of close observation with the in
telligent feeder. My experience
leads me to believe that from four to
six quarts of meal per day under the
above conditions is about the amount
necessary for the most rapid and
economical feeding of cattle. Such,
gentlemen, deem the perfection OF
stall feeding.