The National tribune., 1885-01-08
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
p o.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers.
FEEDING sroex IN WINTER.

| FEEDING STOCK IN WINTER.
The following from 3the American Cultivator
will be found well worth the consideration of
our agricultural readers at this time: Every
Winter comes up the questions: How shall
we use the fodder which we have, that we
may obtain the best results from it?' will
it pay to steam our hay, to cook our grain, to
give warm drinks to our animals?' Various
experiments have been tried by investigating
farmers, but they have reported such varying
results that only those who have studied the
reports carefully, and noted the conditions un-
| der which the experiments have been made,
can be at all satisfied in regard to the questions
| involved But careful review of such re-
ports does something to establish certain
points.
"If cattle are kept in comfortably warm sta
bles, and fed upon sood, early-cut hay prop
erly cured, and upon good, sound grain, and
have regular supply of water at a comfort
able temperature, say never below 400, the
gain by any process of cooking will not pay for
the labor and fuel required for the purpose,
unless both can be obtained cheaply, and the
stock Is large enough to make it profitable, So
it costs but little more to do this work for so
animals than for three
off stock is so kept and taken care of that
| they know nothing about the temperature out
Of doors, and the fodder consists of coarse and
dried cornstalks, especially such as have pro-
duced grain, or Of coarse and nutritious marsh
hay, or of that which had grown woody before
| it was cut, or that which was overdried, or of
straw of any kind, it will pay to steam it
enough to soften it. 1t is not necessary to cook it,
| as some understand the phrase, but to make it
! soft and feed it moderately warm. As one en-
| thusiastic advocate of the steaming process
| says, it puts the Summer back into it, it
may not add anything to its nutritive quail
| ties, but it makes it more easily digested. 1t
| is hard work when 1t requires all the strength
given by the food to perform the office of diges-
| ton! If to such food softened by steam there
| is added enough of grain to supply the neces-
sary nutrition, cattle will thrive upon it as
well as upon good hay with very nearly the
same amount of grain.
eff, on the other hand the warm food is
| supplemented by drinks of ice-cold water, or if,
| after warm food and warm drink are given,
the cattle are allowed to stand the greater part
! of the day in cold winds and storms the injury
from the chill is greater than it would be if
the food were not steamed, and the warm food
| viii do actual damage. Still greater is the loss
| if to cold water and exposure in cold yards is
added cold stable in which the temperature
falls below the freezing point at night. The
body, warmed by the warm food, is more sus-
ceptible to chiils than if the food had been
given dry and cold and the result, if not dis
ease and death, is at least weakening of the
whole system, but more especially of the di-
| gestiye organs and the farmer has to report
that his animals donot do as we'll upon steamed
or cooked food as upon dry fodder"
wINTERINd FALL PIGS.
The best method OF carrying over Fall pigs
is a timely question with farmers just now, and
should be closely looked into. 1t is not good
policy to have Fall pigs, but farmers cannot
always avoid them. Early Spring pigs that can
be fattened for market by Christmas are the
most profitable. But the farmer will occasion
ally find lot of small pigs on his hands, and
he must make preparations to Winter them
over. This should be done in the most eco
nonical way. Good shelter should be the first
thing provided, and something else besides
corn fed. To make tho cheapest pork that,
when fattened for market, costs the least per
pound, the pigs must be crowded from the start.
Keeping them growing with the cheapest food
is the secret of success. AS during the Winter
a large per cent. OF the food consumed is taken
up ia maintaining animal heat good shelter is
l.one of the most saving elements IN Wiptering
over Fall pigs Where pigs have the run of
good pasturage during the Summer, or green
rye or clover it requires but little grain to
| keep them in q growing condition during
warm weather. But during Winter this cam
not be had, and, as q consequence, an extra
amount of other food must be provided. AS
| said before, shelter is one of the essentials in
economically Wintering-over pigs. 1t should
be warm and dry, yet constructed so as to ad-
NIT of good ventilation. AS to feed. have
found corn meal, wheat bran, soOts or chopped
oats far cheaper feed for carrying over pigs
| than corn fed alone in the grain. A slop made
of any one of these, whether fed warm or cold
is more economical than grain. Keep the pigs
in growing condition. 1t will cost less to
keep growing and maintain animal heat than
if they were allowed to run down and then
build up again. Pigs kept in this way will be
in good condition to run on the pasture the
following Spring and Summer and make extra
hogs the second Winter-COr. Lire Stock Jour
nal.
| WHAT RATS WILL DO.
Farmers who have large amounts OF corn do
not realize what quantities rats will take away
to their nests and storing places. Thousands
| of bushels are annually consumed by the pests
and as it is the small DRAWINGS usually which
take off the profit Of farming, the matter of
securely storing corn should be attended to-
An exchange gives an account of the work
Of rats in hardware store, from which some
| thing of an estimate can be made. Forty-tive
pounds of choice popcorn was left in box on
the floor near the center of the store. Next
morning the box was nearly empty, and upon
examination it was found that during the
night the rats conveyed Off 313 pounds of the
corn and concealed it in three different parts of
the building. About 10 pounds were taken
through a small hole in the door between tho
store and the warehouse some of which was
concealed under the stairs in that part of the
building, while four pounds were carried up
the stairs-composed of II steps-and hid away
in pile of paper-rags lying on the floor of the
second story of the warehouse. The rats evil
IDENTIFY worked faithfully all night, and no
doubt chuckled hugely next day over the
princely supply of corn laid away for the
Winters use.
"A slop-hole at the back door will make
enough doctors bills to drain the whole farm,
says the Rural Home.
Whatever method Of feeding pigs is adopt
Cd it should be liberal. Let the quarters be
dry and comfortable, aud disturb them as little
as possible Pigs are, in part alternating
animals and the more they sleep the better for
them and their owner. good hog eats and
sleeps alternately.
In number of trials last season it was
noticed that the tip kernels of fiat corn yield
ed more abundantly than did the butt or
; central kernels of the ear. Butt seed yielded
at the rate of 90 bushels central seed at the
rate of e. bushels, and tip seed at the rate of "a
bushels per acre, while tho quality of that
grown from the tip-ends was in every respect
equal to that produced from the butt and CEN
trail seed.
Money can be mads by giving the little
| things on the farm persanal attention There