Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-12-05
Care Of Stock Wininter.
Practical Farmer.

iect the thought and attention its i'm
portance demands. 1t requires more
nice and discriminating judgement to
feed and take proper care of stock in
the winter season than it does to raise
and secure that feed in the summer
season. This may be considered by
some an extravaganza assertion, but
those who so claim certainly take poor
care oftheir stock. Two things are to
be taken into account in winter stock
first keeping the stock in good, thriv
ing condition; second, economizing
and saving fodder | claim that, by
economizing and making stock eat up
close all the fodder given, they can be
brought through the winter in better
condition than when slovenly, care
less method is practised. OF course,
I base these rem arks On the idea that
fodder must be secured at the right
time and in the. best possible condi-
ton. 1t is very easy, by overlooking,
to teach stock of any kind to waste
their food, and when that habit is
once acquired it is hard to break it up,
especially with young stock. First,
secure the food in the best possible
condition second, furnish good com
Portable sheds and stables suited to
the different kinds of stock; third,
make good hangers and racks, SO
there can be no possibility Of waste,
and then feed just the amount, as
near as possible, that the different
kinds of stock will eat, and if at the
next feeding time some is left, not
quite so much is to be given but if all
is eaten clean, then increase little.
In this way the amount stock will eat
can be arrived at very closely. But
when any is lefs that you don't ex-
pect to be eaten, always clean it from
the racks of hangers, as the case may
be. The idea is to make stock eat all
they will and not waste any, to keep
it in thriving condition, and by econ
omizing in feed tWofold gain is
made.
Every good farmer who does any
part OF his own work can put in his
time to the best advantage by taking
care of his own stock, and let the
hired help do the straight work in the
field or woods for, not one hired man
in ten can be instructed with the care
of stock in the winter time, either
from lack Of judgement or the want
Of care, or both. To be a good hand
with stock man must like the bust
ness and have some interest in it. He
must be gentle and kind, and then the
stock will like him and they will get
along first-rate together. A bowling
wild, uncultivated fellow has no bust
ness taking care Of stock. Anybody
that will abuse tie dumb brutes that
God has given US for our most pres
sing needs, and has not given the
tongue to tell the abuse they receive,
is not much better than the brute him
self, and never should be intrusted
with the care of stock.
But the most critical time for stock,
and when most liable to losein flesh,
is at the last end grazingand first end
of feedingtime. When pastures get
short, and the grass is injured by
frost, stock of all kinds are liable to
lose in flesh, unknown to the careless
and unobserviDg farmer; and when
stock lose flesh in this way, five times
the amount of feed is required to re-
store the loss that it would havere quir-
ed to prevent it, besides the setback
in the growth Of the stock. The far
mers who are the most liberal feeders
do not always obtain the best results,
from the fact that they don't feed
with Judgment and uniformity. Calves
and lambs, when feed begins to fail,
should have a small extra ration of
some kind, so there will be no check
in their growth, and at the same time
be taught to take hold of the regular
winter rations, and prevent falling
off, just on going into winter quarters.
Farm horses that lie idle in the sta
bles the most OF the time in winter
are an exception TO the rule, and
should not be fed all they will eat
Many farmers think it cheaper to win
ter their farm teams mostly on hay,
and this view, keep their managers full
constantly. This [ think a mistaken
policy. Many horses are spoiled by
eating too much hay. When stuffed
for weeks and months, with but little
exercise, they grow pot-bellied, hair
looking rough and standing on end,
looking more like a hedgehog than
horse, and in many instances resulting
in heaves and many other diseases.
Scrimp a horse on hay and give some
grain, and it will keep in better con.
dition for either work or standing
idle.
Items frUns N aryvIlle College.
MARYvILLE, Dec. %, 1879.