The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1873-10-30

PREPARIS0 FOR WiNrTR.
Il il now time tor the far,Ae, sv.i.
sssly to think Of preparing for winter,
60 mutt AK himself the question as to
the availability and amount of forage
On hand, 20 that, from the estimate, he
may know If he haYs too little or toe
nnoh stock. If he have not enough
it is far better that he buy at eai,
prices, rather than sell the surplus for.
age. Ifhs have more stock than he
has feed for, especially of cattle ready
for fattsniog, it is better that he bu,
feed, if it can be had cheaply, than to
sell bis surplus stock. Here, however,
the question of ready money will come
in.
So far as rough feed is concerned,
much may be made Of straw, if i. have
only been we'll saved that is, lett 10
such condition after threshipg that it
will not become vet. 1t is a good feed
or Dad feed, just in proportion to the
pains in saving it. If we'll cared for,
young cattle, young horses and mules
will come through the Winter in ex.
cellent condition if they have an atund.
auce Of straw and little grain daily.
If the straw be damaged by the wealth.
er, they will, likely, have to be tailed
up 10 tie Spring, if, indeed, they sur.
vive at all.
The waste of STRAW in the great grain.
growing districts Of tho West is simply
enormous, and this merely for want OF
stock to eat it.
In threshing, care should be taken
that the straw be put 10 large, compact
stacks. This is comparatively easy 10
this day Of power threshers With straw
carriers. One or two extra hands will
accomplish it, and the straw 80 saved is
nearly equal to ordinary prairie hay
If the stacks, as left at the end of
threshiDg, be topped with little coarse
hay, they will not thereafter suffer
from the Fall and Winter rains.
Good clean straw is supposed to rep.
resent avalue as compared to good
timothy and clover hay, as three Of
straw 70 one Of hay: Farm ,uimals
vill vists, through in excellent condi
ton on good hay, i: kept from storms.
II, therefore, . little coro be fed each
day With The straw, the animal may be
vistsHsd economically. Our own prac.
trse he's been 10 feed young horses aud
mules. = vail a. cattle, al the. straw
they will eat through the day, in con.
1setioa With little cord, giving light
feed Of hsy at night. In this manner
they are vintered economically, and
ths farmer might have some hay to sell,
which, in the West is usually worth
more than corn. The annual yield of
straw in the United States is computed
Al over 40, 100000 tons ; Of this guam
tity about 100000 tons are suppos.
ed 70 DO applied to tho various econom-
zeal purposes, which would leave 3d..
600, 600 tons allowed to waste, or rot ::
the greater proportion, in the West,
tor want Of stock to eat it, or, perhaps,
from lack of understanding as to its
value.
Two acres Of we'll cured corn fodder
will bring IN OK through the Winter
in fine condition. Three acres will
feed two eows through. The expenses
OF cutting, shocking, hauliog aud feed.
ing lsed not cost more than Eve dol.
lan. One acre Of fodder With plenty
OF straw will do oearly as we'll and for
milsh COWS, especially, there is 20 bet.
ter Winter feed than good bright corn
fodder.
Have you made preparation for pro.
tectine your stock from the bleak and
freesing prairie wiods Of Winter? A
little sxertion this Fall will enable the
farmer to 60 in Wioter quarters with
out fear for the comfort of lis stock.
More stock perish from the effects of
cold than from want of food. 1t takes
q oertsin amount to supply waste. This
waste is intensified with every cold
storm. Every farmer who has been
exposed to the searching winds Of
the prairies koovs this, and yet many
foil to apply that knowledge 10 making
stock really comfortable.
IT not already attended to, now is
tho time to prepare shelter for your
stock. Do not wait ant,l Winter nor,
above all until you can build an ex.
peusivs barn. Stock can be made a.
comfortable in cheap structure as in
! more costly one. In fact, stock are
lslly as we'll off in good warm sheds,
who're they can have their liberty, AZ
'hsJ are in an ordinary barn, tied up.
If timber be near, sheds may be cheap.
y built Of posts and poles, covered With
surplus straw or slough hay, The
adss, ends aod tho top portion Of the
s'sn' Only being boarded ap. A mis-
IKE in seveying sheds with straw, is the
hnhslsnsy Of straw used. In this
-, The water i, constantly dropping
through, to the great discomfort of cat.
d.; I'D tho depletion OF the pocket of
no synsr.
One Of the principal sources of evil
II vintsrisg stock is lack of water.
Driving them onee day to a frozen
slough o. pond, where the animals are