The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-01-04

WINTER WORK ON THE FARM.

the long, and comparatively leisure season
of winter, shuuld mainly be directed. to-
wards accommodating supply Of plant food
for the next seasons crops. Everything
that can possibly be done in the way of
adding to the manure heap the progress
sive farmer will aim to accomplish. Swamp
muck should be dug ont wherever it can
be had. drawn to some place near the barn
ward, where it can be readily available to
use as an absorbent and retainer of the salts
contained in the liquefied portions of the
manure. If much be dug and exposed to
the air for year before being added to the
manure heap, it will become much more
valuable from being dried and decomposed.
Every available load of stable manure
that can be had from the town or village
nearest. or from any hotel in the neighbor
hood, should he bought up and brought to
the barn yard, where it should be properly
composted before being spread on the land,
in order to destroy, as much as possible, the
vitality of the seeds of noxious weeds and
plants that may have found their way into
it.
Every animal on the farm should be well
looked after during the winter, and care
taken that each gets its full allowance OF
the food given out. Where all are stabbed,
this is an easy NATTER but where they run
together in the yard or sheds, the weaker
ones often suffer greatly for want OF suffi-
Gent food the stronger ones taking more
than their share. If the animals have
commenced the winter in good thriving
condition, their thriftiness is the more
easily kept up, but once they lose flesh
during cold weather, it becomes somewhat
costly and difficult to make them regain it,
as an animal in poor condition can rarely
be induced to eat and digest more than
will 90 towards keeping up its animal heat
while the cold weather lasts.
We are inclined to think large troughs
or boxes better than overhead racks Tor
feeding out hay to stock. One great advan-
tage they possess is that they prevent
much waste. for an animal eating out OF a
trough or box rarely takes more than
mouthful at a time, and eats 1T up before
taking another, while it may often be no.
ticed that when they feed at racks they
will pull out much more than they can eat
at once, drop portion at their feet, tram
pie 1T in their effort to reach up for the
next mouthful They keep always putt
ing their heads up to the rack, leaving I'M
touched what has dropped before them. IT
racks are used they should have boxes un-
der them, to catch the waste and line part
icles of hay, which usually constitute the
most nutritious portion.
Of course, if all their feed can be cut up,
50 much the better, and the saving of waste
alone in this case will more than repay the
farmer for the extra labor of cutting. The
cut hay being usually given in troughs or
boxes, it is seldom particle is lost.
The saving in fodder thus effected has
been yariously estimated. My own exper-
fence leads me to consider that fifteen cwt.
when it is passed through the chaff- cutter,
will fodder cattle thoroughly where 1t
would require ton of long hay. Allow
ing the standard price of clover hay to be
ten dollars ton, we should thus effect
saving of ten dollars in every four tons fed.
The expense of cutting is very slight, Tor
enough chaff can be worked up in one day
by two teams and three hands to serve III
teen or twenty head of cattle for 1ull
month The cost of a good servlceable
chaff- cutter, which can be worked by hand
or horse power-such as are made by
Messrs. Boyer & Bro. of Philadelphia-ls
about Thirty-five dollars.
Ten head of fattening cattle will con-
sumo about four tons of clover hay IN a
month. If these cattle are put up for two
months, we shall have saved twenty dol
lars directly by economy in feeding, and
more in that better fitness for the butcher,
which is the result of allowing them plenty
of time to lie in their boxes.
No trouble or pains should be spared to
see that all the stock obtain a regular sup
ply of water. If they have to obtain it at
pond or creek, enough holes must be cut
in the ice, when it forms, for every animal
10 obtain supply without crowding; or
what is better, boy should go with them
to the water and see that the older and
stronger ones do not monopolize the water
ing place for hours at time, While the
weaker and younger ones wander away III
search of it at some other place
Animals that are being fed up for the
butcher. need every care and attention.
Regularity i'll the hours of feeding is of the
greatest Importance, if we wish to fatten
an animal The feed must be SO regulated
that they will keep constantly gaining in
condition without becoming really fat, I'M
til near the time when they can be sold to
the most advantage, which is usually about
Easter \ month or six weeks before that
time, the process Of forcing them into fat
ness by giving stimulating food, such as
grain or oicake, should begin. in Britain,
much use is made of certain artificial COM
pounds called cattle food, which are given
sparngly as an addition to their ordinary
feeding stuf1s. in order to excite their ap
petite, and induce them to fatten faster,
by more largely consuming of what is set
before them. Every pound of food an ami
NAL can eat beyond what is required for
the system goes to make fat.
Let the stables and yards be kept as
clean and we'll aired as is compatible with
the comfort of the animals. See that the
cattle do not get their skins full of lice or
scurf, or become hide bound. Any ami
NAL affected IN that way must be taken
away from the herd and rubbed with coal
Stock J1urRql
Sound Ideas on Farming.