Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1874-02-12
Farm, and Household.
Watering Cattle in the Winter

Next to warm shelter and good
feed, the proper watering of cat
tie should be attended to. No
farm animals will do well if only
watered once a day. 1t is true
that animals which are driven to
some frozen pond and watered
through holes cut in the ice will
seldom in cold weather drink
more than once a day, for the
simple reason that they must. be
suffering from thirst to be induc-
ed to drink at all /; but this does
not, by any means, prove the
economy of this system OF water
ing, but rather the reverse. To
prove it, let the stock-owner
himself get down and drink this
thoroughly-chilled water. The
evidence Of danger to the system
will be apparent.
If there are but few animals
to be watered, it is but little la
Dor to do the work, since the wa
ter for dozen or twenty cattle
can be pumped in about the time
the cattle will drink it. Ifa large
herd be kept, simple windmill,
pumping into an underground
cistern placed upon an eminence
and connecting by means of un-
derground pipes with the trough
in the yard at a less elevation.
will suffice to supply anyinumber
of cattle and other stock. The
outlay, other than the first ex-
pense, will be but small. If this
be impracticable, a tank may be
built of sufficient elevation, and
enclosed so that it shall be prac-
tically frost proof, when 1T will
work day and night, Winter and
Summer, when the wind blows
land when does it not in the
Wests) and will repay its cost,
every year, where a considerable
herd is to be watered.
For years, we had such a mill
that furnished water from a fifty
feet well, which supplied the
house, 500 to 600 swine, twelve
horses and ten cows, besides furn
ishing water for the green house
hot beds of over 600 sashes.
which latter alone used to re-
1quire the work of one man with
a hose to water. We simply state
this to show the amount of water
good sized mill will pump.
The great advantage of this
system of watering is that the
water may be carried in common
iron gas-pipes whenever you
want, and the water is never
thoroughly chilled, so as to dis
tress stock in drinking. Conse-
quently they take it just when
they want it and usually in small
quantities at a time. They are
thereby saved the ague chill that
usually occurs after the period.
.eal filing up under the system
as practiced by too many of our
farmers. There is no doubt that
with proper watering and warm
shelter In Winter, all farm ami
mails would come out from TWEEN.
ty-five to fifty per cent. better
than they now do. We have
proved this proposition to oul
perfect satisfaction by experience
in fattening cattie. The propo
sition will hold good with othel
stock. 1t will pay to give farm
stock, first, warm shelter, second
plenty of good forage, and third
but not least, water, to drink a
will-certainly twice day, ant
then never chilled to the freez
ing point.
Our correspondent, "G.W.L., :
OF Delaware, Ioa., sends US ava
liable hint with respect to stht
watering of cattle in Winter. He
says:
"Many farmers water theil
stock from wells, and, in the
Winter time, they experience
-. considerable difficulty, by the .ac
3 cumulation of ice around the
trough. Many times cattle ever
though very dry, will go away
without drinking, rather thar
venture on such a slippery place
to get water. | have a yer,
simple and cheap remedy /; take
Z 4 an .armful or two of straw, scat
ter it over the ice ant
sprinkle, over it, /, some water
which soon freezes fast, and the
remedy is complete Western
DBL