The west Tennessee star. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1888, 1888-08-10
CoMMON-sENsE FEEDING.

One of the Most Costly and Cruel Habits
That Farmers Have.
When many a man sees, as he does
see, that animals that go on grass
in a weakly and sick condition, at once
improve, as they do often, it ought to
be sufficient to dictate better way of
winter feeding than is entirely too
common. Our animals are fed all
winter, in thousands of cases, upon
dry, concentrated food, and, in one
way or another, in spring they show
the effects of it. The owner feels that
. he must do something, and often it is
necessary to give medicines at once.
But as soon as the grass comes stop the
medicines, in ordinary cases at least,
and turn them into the pasture. At
first the grass will lack nutritious
qualities, and it may sometimes be
necessary to feed even a sick animal
something in addition. Animals that
are not diseased ought to have some
thing besides the very young grsEs.
But a sick animal will often be greatly
benefited by stinting it in diet, and in
such cases it may need nothing more
than what the imperfect young grass
viii give. If we had an animal that
was out of condition, or in
any disease short of being
or verging upon a desperate case. we
should turn it upon grass as soon as
grass comes, and give it trial before
resorting to medical treatment. We
feel that we can not say too often that
the custom of feeding for months prin-
cipalIy upon corn is one of the most
costly habits that farmers have. 1t is
positively injurious to the animal, and
to every animal that is compelled thus
to live. Sometimes we do not see the
evil effects, but we may be sure that
they exist for such a course of feed
ing is in violation of NATURES laws,
and they can not be violated without
paying the penalty. But we do see
the effects in thousands of cases, and
see them often enough in our own
herds to suggest the wisdom of reform
in our feeding methods.
It ought not to be diff1ult to see what
the result of constantly feeding a dry,
fat-producing food is. Leaving out of
the question altogether the fact that
by such feeding part of the system,
and the most important part, too, gets
no nourishment, or scarcely any, the
natural tendency of fat-prOducing,
concentrated dry foods is toward an
impairment of the digestive functions.
The system must have moisture. If
we deprive the system of all moist
ure the animal would die. But fur
nishing it with plenty of moisture
in the shape of clear water is not the
best way. Experience shows that it
is better to furnish at least part Of the
moisture needed Incorporated in the
food. 1t is for this reason that green
grasses are so valuable, or at least it
is a principal reason. 1t is for this
reason that roots are so valuable as a
food. In place of medicines, therefore,
in many cases we would advise grass.
There is one class, however, that the
| farmer often finds it hard to treat as we
have suggested. They are the cases
of horses that are needed for work. He
/ feels that he can not spare horse for
/ a week or two that it may run upon
/ grass. Well, a sick horse, if it p very
sick, should not be worked, and the
way to treat a sick animal is always to
treat him the best way If a week or
two weeks, or month Is the best way
to cure him, that is the way to treat
him. The work must be left to be
taken care of in some other way, I'M
| less we value the life and usefulness of
| the animal so little that we do not care
about saving him. Humanity, how
ever. even then should prompt us to
exercise mercy. We do not mean by
any thing that we have said to convey
the idea that all stock should be turned
upon grass too early. in doing this
/ people often make a mistake. Western
Rural.