St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-04-21
care Of colts.
Mirror and Farmar.

[ have experienced fifty years OF farming,
and can look back and see where many mis-
takes were made in the care Of stock, and
in not giving such feed and care as the best
interests OF both stock and owner required to
accomplish the best results. 1t has been
said if farmers would publish their failures,
the reading farmer would see and note
them, and SO avoid them in his practice,
which is true in many eases, no doubt. l
win cite a few such cases:
I had fine colt in the fall, when it came
into winter quarters it was hooked by some
horned animal, a COW, as was supposed; it
was called an accident; the colt died. A
neighbor lost one last fall in the same way
an accident, of course. The writer called lis
simply carelessness, and for years past has
taken care that colts and horned cattle do
not run in the same yard together, so no
such loss has occurred in that way. Many
colts at this season Of the year are exposed to
storms day and night, except perhaps, a shed
open to the weather or the sides Of barn or
a stack OF hay or straw. Many such colts
are lost during the winter or spring, and if
not are very poor, and in many cases covered
with yermin; it takes quite portion Of the
following summer to get them growing as
they should do if well fed and protected dur
ing the winter.
The writer has tried both methods, that is
careless and scant feeding and housing,
and also good feeding and housing, andtinds
it pays much better to feed literally and
house carefully from all cold, wet storms in
the fall and early spring, also snow storms
and cold weather in winter. They should
have plenty Of room to exercise in, and
plenty Of time to DO it in during al fair
weather, as sunshine in winter is both life
and health to all farm stock. We now have
a box stall about twelve feet square for our
colts to be wintered in, where they are kept
nights and stormy days, and with such pro-
lection, and two quarts of oats and two
quarts Of shorts mixed, and feed one-half at
night and the other half in the morning, our
colts grow finely during the winter, and go
into the>pasture in the spring as yearlings
strong and healthy, and with good care dur
ing the summer following they viii make a.
fine growth that any farmer might well be
proud Of.
I win mention an instance Of colt my
son wintered one year ago for neghbor;
the colt was offered for sale in the fall for
$40, without purchaser. ny son having a
SuchAuS cOII 10 Wlutct Oh Iue SAME aye, was
persuaded by the neighbor to winter his, he
supplying oats to feed his colt night and
morning, two quarts at each feed, with hay
and box stall as mentioned. Some Of our
other neighbors said he would spoil the colt
under such feed and treatment. Both colts
had a stall side by side; both were turned in
yard on all pleasant days. The summer
past, the neighbor hired his colt pastured ON
an adjoining farm with four other colts that
had been well wintered, al Of the same age;
his outgrew them rapidly, and this fall
when he brought his colt from the pasture,
the writer weighed him; weight $50 pounds;
he had gained one pound daily both winter
and summer, and the past summer here was
one of extreme drought; consequently the
feed was very poor the last part of the sea-
son. Had the usual amount of rain fallen
and the pastures been good, the colt would
have weighed more than 1000 pounds at the
close of the pasturage season. The price of
the colt now is 5000, even at half that, it
has paid extra well to give him the good care
he has received.