The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-05-08
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BREEDING AND CARE OF CATTLE.
POINTS IN AN ADDRESS BY D. W. DAKH,
AT INDIANAPOLIS CONVENTION.

POINTS IN AN ADDRESS BY D. W. DAKI,
AT INDIANAPOLIS CONVENTION.
From, tic Lise Stock Journal.
LIST. The male should be known to be
of the type you would perpetuate,
sound. healthy, and in every other way
a. nearly q perfect animal as is posi-
Bile, even if bis use has to be paid for,
while an inferior one could be procured
gratis.
End. The female is nearly of as much
Importance in this respect as the male,
and therefore none but the best should
be bred from, and their offsprings should
never be slaughtered before they have
been proven to be of little or no value
as future breeders.
Sd. The comfort Of the female through
pregnancy is of great Importance. The
science of physiology is as applicable
to animals as to man. The offspring of
second pregnancy is often plainly
marked by the getter Of the first, and
during CESSATION marked impressions
are made on the offspring by the asso-
Citations to which the female is subject
ed, Quiet contentment, kind treatment,
regular and ample feed, pure water,
moderate exercise, shelter from Winters
blasts, Springs drenching rains, and
Summers scorching rays, are all import
ant
4th. Parturition is facilitated by this
system of special care. Through the
period of CESSATION many a valuable
animal has been lost, from abuse, in
many ways, and if not lost, the of
spring is affected. Whether it shall be
amiable or ugly. docile or nervous, Wig
orous or weak, depends very much on
the treatment which the female receives
through that period.
5th. Imported cattle, or cattle taken
into an entirely different climate from
that which they were bred, seldom show
the same degree of excellence as they
possess at home, unless given special
care. Old cattle frequently die before
getting acclimated. This is strikingly
illustrated by shipping them South,
especially in the Spring of the year, il
the animal is fat The arterial system
first takes cognizance of the change
the pulsation increases to twice its nor.
NAL rate, fever is engendered, and death
ensues.
Cattle to be taken from the far South
to the North, should be shipped in May
or June; from the far North to the
South, in September or October; for
the reason that the change of tempera-
ture is not 80 radical as it would be to
reverse this order. The younger the
animal, if old enough to wean, the less
danger from these causes, and that
danger is soonest passed. To avoid this
necessity of transportation and conse.
quent risk, some enterprising farmer in
every neighborhood could with profit
and at reasonable rates raise bulls from
pure stock of different types or breeds,
for the accommodation of the wants OF
the farmers of his vicinity.
9Th. No animal should be required
to drink water which the owner himself
would refuse, and especially so if that
animal is the COW from which you hope
to make good butter. 1t is sufficient
on this point to say that pure water is
an indispensable article to the success
of the dairyman, for good butter or
cheese cannot be made where good
water cannot be obtained
It'll In considering the subject of
feed, it seems proper for me to say,
that the nourishment Of the animal
system is obtained principally through
the agency of blood, and the compost
ton of the blood is chemically very
nearly the same as milk, which is the
nearest approach to perfect diet, being
prepared in the laboratory of Him who
is the author of all chemistry. 1t will,
therefore, be of interest to study its
composition, and as like produces like,
to feed such food to produce bone, or
sinew, or flesh, or milk, as shall ap-
proach nearest in its composition to
them.
Sth. The best food for most animals
should he so mixed as to approach as
nearly as possible to the chemical pro.
perties of milk, and especially so for
the cow. Milk must 60 in at the mouth
if you would draw it from the udder.
1t is well-established fact that meal
or bran should never be fed separately
and alone, for when swallowed by the
cow it goes directly to the fourth stom.
ach and is but partially digested; where
as, if it were mixed with cut hay and
moistened or steamed, it would pass
into the first stomach, be raised to the
mouth in the end, remasticated, more
thoroughly digested, and therefore dc
the animal more good. Many farmers
feed their cattle corn on the ear, and
depend on their droppings to support
their swine, when if ground and fed
with hay, it would have been thorough.
ly digested by the cow, and the pig
would probably have had a breakfast at
first hands.
The practice of cooking or steaming
food has been demonstrated to be Of
great utility. Some contend that the
returns are not commensurate with the
outlay of muscle and money. They
are usually men, however, who study
their own convenience and comfort, and
consider them of more Importance thar
all other matters combined.
ROTATION OF CROPS.
The following paper, read by DR.