The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-05-01
Executive Mansion, April %, L
Spring Care of Animals.

Animals require special care at this
season. This weather is very changea-
bic and horses and cows are shedding
their coats and liable to catch cold.
Sheep must be managed according to
circumstances. If the yards are large
and dry and you have plenty of roots
it is probably best to keep them out of
the pastures until there is a good bite
of grass. If the yards are small and
out every fine day. A sod field that is
to be plowed for corn will make a good
run for them and will save the regular
pasture. Feed all the hay they will eat.
It is a great mistake TO stop feeding hay
and grain as soon as the sheep are turn
ed to pasture. They may not eat much
hay, but they should have access to it
and be allowed to eat at Will. Ewes and
lambs need warm, dry, sunny quarters.
Feed the ewes plenty of bran, early
cut clover or other hay, and as many
roots as can be spared. Unless the ewes
are very fat, pound of oats each per
day may be fed with great advantage.
Be careful to avoid exposing the sheep
and lambs to rain storms IF a lamb
gets chilled, wrap it in warm blanket;
or, in extreme cases, put the lamb in a
tub of warm water. Lambs apparently
dead have been restored in this way.
Feed horses literally and allow plenty
of time to rest and digest their food.
/ It is better to work them steadily for
| eight or nine hours than to keep them
/ in a field ten or twelve hours, letting
them stand still one-third of the time.
! When man needs to go home to lunch
/ or supper the horses need food also. a
| pail of water with pint of corn or oat
meal stirred in it is a capital thing for a
tired horse. It will enable him to work
an honr or two longer In an emergency.
Cows should be carded every day ii
/ is especially important to feed new
mich COWS literally and with good
/ judgment at this season. Do not be IL
hurry to turn them out to grass.
Give plenty of early cut hay and have
enough to keep their bowels moderately
loose. If thin, give little corn-meal
or oilcake meal In addition. Cut the
hay, moisten it with water, and miZ
about two quarts of bran and quart Of
corn-meal with bushel of chaffed hay
and let the COWS have all they will cal
up clean. When turned out into the
yard, let them have a little long hay IL
the racks to pick at. A COW giving
milk needs a great deal of water. Lei
her have access to it all day. or at any
give each COW half bushel of mangles
or beets, or parsnips, or carrots daily
it will be of advantage.
It now looks as if pork would mex
fall and winter bring higher figures
than for the last two or three years
Last fall pigs should be fed very hber
ally at this season, in order that whe1
they are turned out to grass or. clover
they may be strong and vigorous. 1
they are fat now they will keep fat al
summer on good clover. Withsus thi
is the cheapest way to make pork.
SOW should be placed in a warm, com
Portable pen some days before she is ex
pected to farrow. The object is to lie
her get accustomed to the new pen. /
is we'll to let her out every day for ex
ercise before she pigs and OCCASIONAL,
afterwards. Give little fax tei
! or oil-meal slops and bran to keep thu
bowels open. After narrowing give he
for q few days thin, warm bran slop
three times day. Gradually Civ,
richer food, such as ost, corn or pei
meal, mixed with bran and mixed Will
slops from the house or with milk. I
cooked and fed warm it will favor tn
production Of milk. With we'll breC
! sows the milk is often too rich, and w
should aim to feed in such a way as {,
increase its quantity, but not its quality
Perhaps there is nothing better for thi
purpose than brewers grains or warn
, whey, or skim-milk and scalded bran.
american AgTic1tltuTist.