The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-12-02
Live Stock II tho C.ld season.

Live Stock n the Geld season.
It is far cheaper to give of the stored
f0od in the barn than to compel ami
mails to consume the stored food of the
body. It is wise to often keep in .
growing condition, always in . thriv.
ing condition. 1t is wisdom also to
economic in the quantity of food fed,
% that the desired condition can be
maintained with the least expenditure
of food. For this purpose tight barn
Is requisite. The interest on the cost
of maintaining close boarding and a
warm cattle compartment amount to
tar less than the cost of maintaining
the animal heat against the cold OF
outside winds and storms and the
chi!ls OF night through the consumption
Of hay and grain. A warm barn coun-
tervails many an error of system in an
actual feeding. If store cattle are kept
the principle of feeding must be to
utilize such unstable products of the
farm as will suffice for the purpose,
and the calculations must be based on
economy of labor as well as on the value
0f the food consumed. Corn, slower Hun
garian grass, meadow hay, if in prime
condition can be used to advantage. and
will in some cases suffice; in other
cases the appearance of the cattle will
indicate the necessity of change to hay,
Or the addition of roots, shorts, or
even grain to the ration, for q period.
Young cattle will require better
feeding than mature cattle; cattle &C
customed to being pampered will re-
quire more than those whose life thus
far has met with neglect. IF there is
surplus labor on the farm which seeks
employment, then we may consider
the cutting of the food, possibly in
rare cases the mixing and steaming of
the food, but these procedures must
be governed by circumstances, and are
in the majority of cases unadvisable.
In my own experience, corn fodder,
fed whole once a dav, and Hungarian
grass once day have kept cattle in thriv-
ing condition without further adjuncts.
To secure these results, however. the
fodder must be in good condition and
fed properly, little at time, and as
each jag is consumed little more I'M
til the appetite is satisfied. There
seems to be less margin between the
values of the cattle and ordinary cattle
foods in the East than exists in the
West. and the system of feeding must
be based upon this view. The on ly
just method is to carefully keep note Of
the cattle, and feed according to the
daily requirements, seeking the cheap
est food and the cheapest course that
will fulfill these requirements.
About our cities winter milk-raising
is largely carried on, and many farm
ers have adopted winter butter making.
Cattle adapted for these requirements
require more care, better food, q
greater variety of food and more ju-
dicious feeding than do store cattle,
but offer opportunity for profit in the
greater value and immediate stability
of their products. For these cattle,
warmth, comfort, and cleanliness of
surrounding are manifestly not only of
advantage but almost requisite. In
the feeding some attention must be
given to the value of the product.
When milk raising is attempted, the
food must be substantial and palatable
and there should also be fed special
foods which promote the flow of milk
apart from their nutritive value. Cot
ton-seed meal fed in small quantities
is one of the cheapest and most pro-
ductive of all our known foods for in
fluencing the flow of milk, and is
benefcialin maintaining condition, and
in adding its whole cost value to the
manure; a seeming paradox, yet true.
Shorts in the various forms of fine feed
bran, middlings. ETC., are also to be
used with advantage. Distillery draft.
used in proper quantity, and along with
drier and more substantial foods, is a
valuable resource to those who can
obtain it direct from the breweries.
Brewers grain, screenings, ETC., often
can be secured at price that will re-
pay and can be wisely used to supple
ment the home foods.
Early cut hay, not necessarily of the
best grasses, but always better in pro-
portion to the quality. should be the
main stay, the foundation food of the
barn. It should not, however, in the
presence of an ability to purchase con-
centrated foods, such as I have men,
toned, be overvalued. The use of
corn meal in the stock kept for milk is
of questionable advantage on the
point of economy. If fed at all it can
be most probably used in small
quantities. Winter butter-making
usually presupposes butter product of
high quality and which brings the top
prices. To feed most economically for
this purpose we must feed the best of
hay, cut early and housed in good con-
dition. A moderate feeding of roots
daily seems of considerable advantage.
Cornmeal is however here an essential.
Although not noticeable in its effect
upon the increase of milk beyond what
its nutritive qualities would indicate,
yet it seems to improve the butter
qualities, or, more preferable as an ex-
preston, the churning quality of the
milk and the quality of the but
ter made. The use of oatmeal can
not be in general recommended to
those who strive for gilt-edge" but
ter, yet Individually it, as well as shorts
ETC., ETC., can be advantageouslyu used.
This system of winter farming is essen
tally forcing concentrated process,
and requiring considerable attention
and forethought, is capable of consid-
cradle profit. Hence an expenditure