The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1886-11-18

| Wy ioiihB thC lthu. Z
The frequent destruction of fall oats
by cold has discouraged the fall sowing
of oats and partial substitute is very
desirable, especially in the northern Dor
tions of the cotton belt. Barley appears
to be the best within reach. 1t is very
hardy; seldom injured by cold and
supplies very excellent feed for horses,
The unsettled question is, in what shane
and how to feed it? We have seen il
stated that, in California, horses are
turned loose on stack of barley as cows
are upon stack of hay or straw. After
barley is threshed and the beard is
broken of the grains, the latter could GER
tolnly be fed like any other grain. Can
not some reader throw the light of en-
perence on this point ? If barley is
sowh on ordinary land without fertiIiza
ton, not more than one and q half or
two bushels should be sown on an acre
ana November is good month to SOW it
W'len the object is not grazing or soiling,
put the production of grain and straw.
II 1, silouid always, however, be sown on
inc pest land that is available, and more
or less manuring will pay, as it does on
almost every crop. AS there is great Ger
tainty of not being winter killed and the
crop is as free from casualties as nnv
grown, one can very trustingly apply
| manure to 1t. Since writing the above,
| Judge Belts, the Commissioner of Apri
culture OF Alabama, has informed MS
| tilat 1or twenty years he has raised barley
Tor horse feed i'll northern Alabama with
| great success, and feeds it Just as he
leeds shcaf oats. With barley as with
| rye, 1T is important to SOW homegrown
| seed. Most Of the seed obtained from
the North Is spring raised, and will not
do, well in our climate The May birds
are the greatest enemy to this crop.
They usually pass through our section
when the barley is in milk, and prove
quite destructive. Boys and shotguns
arc the best remedies.
AS cold weather approaches, suitable
provision should be made for the care of
stock. Close barns and cellars are rarely
needed IN our warm climate; but shelter
1fom cold rains and barriers against cold
Wlnus are lmperatiyely called for. Sim
pie shelters planked up, or even well
brushed up on the north and west sides,
Will answer every purpose They may
be constructed of poles, to be had on
every farm, and covered with plank roofs.
winch can be taken down when the win
ter IS over and stored away under shelter
until the next season. Thus managed,
they Will last very long time.
The usual practice i'll feeding trough
ness is to throw it Oh the ground, and
let the COWS pick overland tramplo upon it,
and the tramping usually exceeds the
. picking. 1t is Il most waStefu practice
y better, and at same time Inexpensive
and convenient method is to have racks
= with the Stats near togcther-not wide
enough apart to admit the cows nose,
but only It's tongue, 80 that it can pull
out only little at time. 1t not only
prevents waste from forage being pulled
out and trod under foot, but enables
the animals to tear off pieces small
enough TO he chewcd-~t to divide shuck,
lor instance, into several m0uthfuls
1t is also very desirable to supply ani-
mails with water, not too cold during
cold weather. Cows drink large guam
tlty OF water, and when the latter is
nearly at the freezing point, it has to be
warmed up III the stomach by animal
h"at-raised, say forty to one hundred
degrees. Now, animal heat is gcncruutd
from food, and if an animal drinks much
| cold water, ii must cat more food where
with to warm it. If practicable, water
ahould be conducted in pipe, some dis
t'ncc underground, from . spring TO the
lot. 1t would thus get within reach of
animals ut temperature Of about sixty
degrees. Such an arrangement would
also insure animals against the neglect
: oi servants III supplying water or of sup
plying 1t regularly. Ii CMc considers
thc time consumed in drawing water
: from we'll and carrying it to animals,
= or in leading animals to Watering
trough day after day and year after year,
how long would the la6oG and time
= thus expended run up Il bill OF costs in
- ~ excess OF that of the piping and other
Il hXturcs requisite to convey it warm and
> ireSh to every stall?
y The remarks about warm water for
! stock apply with c-,ual force TO warm
3 tood as against cold. The pYa2ticc of
!! t! cooking food, which at one time WIS
u lar5 2ly practiccd, from the belief that
: IFS hutrltiousncss and digcstibility were
= largely increAscd thereby, has advantage
. III the matter of heat: though shown by
experiment not 10 be superior to I'M
cooked food i'll other respects. Inder
, some circumstances it might be more
Gconomlcal to warm the food of COWS in
cAtr@rl&ly cold weather by cooking or
Steamlng, th0't t" have the animal warm
1t by consuming m6rG food. AS rule
wood and coal arc cheaper tham forage
and grain.
IT is sometimes the case that cooking
- - tN"ii''E 20 NcCNttulN utlNanI0BCOllS
by, imparting ihc Aayor of the more
Inlatablc to that which ig legs 50, in
mixed ration. Wheat straw, forinstQncc.
nboundS i'll hydrocarbons, but is de-
HcIcnt III nitrogen; cotton seed meal
anonh0G N nitrogen the two supple
ment each othGT md make Il good feed. |
| 5ut II fed separately. az animal would |
not eat the straw we'll, bech,,t., = is not |
I palatablc food ; it is defective in nayol. !
The IUantity of cotton seed meal prop
or for an animal is too small to be mixed |
well with the necessary amount of straw,
even when the latter is Gut up. But
Steaming will impart the favor 0f the
meal to as much straw as is desirable.
The comPQunding of different kinds of
feed in proper proportions, is not Only
desirable for the heaitl! and thrift of
ANIMALS, but extremely important in an
economical point of view. Excess Of
amy one ingredient of food above it's due
proportion is not appropriated by the