American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-11-28
Care of Stock in Winter.

THAT there is an immense amount of
suffering among farm animals in winter,
owing to the want of shelter and proper
food, we think few will attempt to deny;
and, strange as it may appear, cruelty of
this kind is generally most common
where the facilities for preventing it are
the most abundant. In the older States,
where food and even building materials
are scarce and high priced, animals are
better cared for than in the newer ones
where these are both cheap and abun-
| dant. We seldom hear of cattle dying
for want of shelter or food in the thickly-
settled portions of the Eastern States,
but such disasters are not unfrequent in
| the West. OF course there are stock
| owners everywhere who are constantly
practicing cruelty upon animals which
should cause them to be banished from
| respectable society; but it is to be hoped
| that these are exceptional cases. There
| are persons who appear to think that if
| they furnish anything in the way of food
which animals will eat, even under COM
| pulsion, their duty in the matter Is done,
| and if, suffering from an Indictment eli
| mate, thirst or disease follow, the sin of
neglect should not be laid at their door.
A glance at the farm buildings in many
| of the older and more wealthy portions
| of the country would soon convince an
observer that they are almost worthless
orally kept therein. We have seen thou
| sands of barns sided up with green hem
lock boards, reaching from sill to plate,
| and with no sign of a batten over the
cracks, which widen as the timber be-
comes old and seasoned. In the corner
| of many of these crate-like structures
stable is partitioned off for the horses,
while the cows are left in the yard to
seek shelter wherever they may happen
| 10 nd 4 &c xuaI TO
| telligent stock-Owner that animals will
thrive on much less food in warm, CON-
| Portable stables than when exposed to
the cold; therefore it is a matter of
economy to furnish warm quarters for
stock, to say nothing of the humane side
of the question.
In the colder localities, where stock
| must be furnished artiticially with all the
| food required during the winter, good,
warm stables are necessary for both
night and day; but in warmer climates
| where there are no SHOWS to cover the
dried heritage, and stock can Craze
| throughout the year, shelter is not quite
SO important. Still, no animal can rest
| comfortably or remain healthy if exposed
| to cold rains, such as occur in all parts
of the country, both North and South
This is especially important with neat
cattle, which gather their food rapidly,
| filling themselves with coarse, unmasti-
Gated food, which is re-chewed while
| they are in state of rest. Such ami
mails may live and grow fat on the Texas
prairies or Western plains, even if COM
PEELED to sleep out in cold rains, chilly
dews and exposed to cold winds. Still,
| they would certainly be more comforta-
| BILE and would do better if given shelter
| of some kind, even if nothing better was
employed than open sheds covered with
| prairie grass or evergreen boughs. We
| have no climate in the United States SO
| mild in winter that shelter for stock i.
| unnecessary; for wherever frosts are
| likely to occur and rains to fall, animals
| require protection for both health and
profit.
Next in Importance to supplying an
| abundance of good nutritious food, that
| of variety of food claims attention. This
| is probably more important in cold than
in warm climates, although worthy of
| some notice in both A sudden change
| from green, succulent food to dry and
| woody, from grass to hay, straw or
| cornstalks, frequently severely tests the
| digestive organs of the most healthy ami
| NAL, and, as matter OF safety, the
| change should be gradual instead of sud
den. Our best farmers fully appreci-
| ate the Importance of gradual
change of food, and of variety;
| hence the rapidly-increasing production
of the various kinds of root crops, such
as beets, turnips and carrots. Not being
fully satisfied with such laxative and
| healthful food, many practice cooking
the grain as well as steaming their hay,
straw and other kinds of fodder, with
| beneficial and profitable results. But
variety of food should always be pro-
| vided, if for no other purpose than to
| quicken the appetite and prevent cloy-
| ing. If it is the general practice to feed
| corn whole or ground, then change occa-
| sionally by steaming or boiling The
same change may be made with oats
when fed to horses, but the addition of
| roots two or three times IA week would be
| still better. But it is unnecessary to par
ticularize, for every stock -owner will be
] able to comprehend the Importance of