Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1872-02-17
Hints About Work.

compelling them to drink water full
Of melting snow or ice. Provide
some kind of shelter for all animals.
Horses that are doing nothing can
be wiLtered on good, bright straw,
with four or five pounds of corn per
day, cheaper than on hay. If they
worked regularly, they require higher
feeding; say ten pounds grain, ten
pounds hay, and ten pounds straw
per day. On a grain farm, where
straw or corn-stalks are abundant
and hay is scarce, one-third hay, and
one-third straw and stalk, cut up to-
gether, with one-third the weight of
corn.meal mixed with it, make a
cheaper and more nutritious food
than more hay and less grain.
Cows do far better on stalks than
on straw. They do not like the lat.
ter. Our stalks were SO well cured
last fall that, after the cows were ia
ken from the pasture and fed in the
stables on stalks, they increased in
their milk and the quality Of the but
ter improved. Cows that are giving
milk will pay tor q little corn-meai-
say two quarts per day, in addition
to the stalks or hay. Keep the sta
bles clean and well ventilated. In
stormy weather it is best to keep
them in the stable all the time, except
TO turn them out twice a day to wa
ter. Many farmers only water once,
and this will do when they run IL the
ward for two or three hours, but
otherwise it is far better to water
twice. Give them time enough to
drink. Cows are not like horses in
| this respect. A horse will drink at
once all he wants, but a herd OF cows
need longer time and more humoring'
Sheep will eat straw better than
any other stock. With good, bright
straw and halls a pound of corn per
day, Merino sheep can be kept in
good, thriving condition, and with a
pound of corn per day the right kind
of sheep will get fat. Towards the
spring sheep should have a little hay
say one foddering per day. Meri-
no ewes in lamb to a large long
wooded or South Down ram should
have good keep, in order that they
may have nourishment enough for
the large lamb. Nothing is better
for them than bran and clover hay.
Corn is a cheaper food, and half a
pound a day will not hurt them, I'M
less the ewes are unusually fat
Where roots are scarce it is better to
reserve them until March and April
than to feed them now. Bran is the
best substitute for them. Cattle,
horses and pigs should be fed in the
morning, the first thing before break
fast, but sheep need not be fed until
after breakfast. 1t is better 10 let
them lie undisturbed until sunrise.
Littering the sheep-yards is a point
of great Importance, and requires
good judgment and experience. They
will lie down and rest as soon as they
have a little fresh straw spread in
the yard or under the shed, and this
should be attended to every day but
it is exceedingly important not to
get so much straw and manure under
the sheep as to cause fermentation.
Avoid the mud and dirty straw on
the one hand, and fermenting manure
on the other. Both are injurious.
A little straw and often is the rule.
Be careful to throw the straw pulled
1ut from the racks about the yards
every day and not let it accumulate,
A little attention to this matter will
be amply rewarded.
Young growing pigs should have
abundance of nutritious food, and
warm, dry, comfortable quarters.
Feed three times a day, and as much
as and more than they will eat up
clean. Our own plan is to cook the
food, half corn.meal and half bran,
and feed warm. Our breeding sows,
at this season, get nothing but bran
soaked in water, and we do not give
them quite all they will eat, fed twice
a day. We soak the bran in warn
water about twelve hours, and get
some of the milky water out of the
bran to mix with the cooked TODD for
the little pigs. The bran is still nu-
t~ritious enough for old sows who
have nothing to do but live, while
young, growing pigs need as much
easily digested, nutritious food as
they can assimiIate.
Pigs well Uttered make a great
quantity of manure. We clean out
the wet and soiled part Of the bed
every day, and put in a little fresh
straw. The butts Of COrn-stalks | #
by the sheep and cattle, we put into
the pig-pGas at the bottom of the pen
and cover them with straw, They
serve to keep the pen dry and save
much straw. When pigs are shut up
it is exceedingly important to have
the pens we'll ventilated.
MANURE.-Either draw manure out
to the field as it is made, and spread
it, or make it into a large heap in the
barn-yard. On the whole, we prefer
the latter course. If properly atten,
ded to, and the heap is turned in Feb
ruary, che manure will be in goot
condition for spring crops. 1t is no
uncommon to see q heap of smoking
horse manure by the stable door, an
other heap near the cow-house
while that from the pigs lies frozel
by itself, half mud and half corn-cobs
The whole should be wheeled o
drawn in a cart to a central heap ant
mixed together. They will improv
each other. The warm horse manur
will induce fermentation in the col
cow-dung and the still colder an.
, more sluggish pig manure. Let tn
: whole be carefully shaken to piece
8 and thrown into q loose heap. Durin
, our cold winters there is no DANCE
: of the heap fermenting too rapid,
$ In fact, where there ia all abundanC
of straw it would be desirable
. sprinkle a little dried blood, Dor
n dust, hen manure, etc., over the he0
q occasionally, to induce a more actiV
fermentation. A heap so manage
l. and turned once or twice, will be
admirable condition for root crops
l. the spring. Any that is too raw f
Ie this purpose can be used for corn,
RS kept over for wheat, or top.dressil
b grass, next fall.
! SWAMP MUCK.-Our swamps new
~ were 80 dry as at the'present tim
and we cannot have a more fayorat
ID opportunity for getting out muc