The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-03-08

and gradually chew over the food and
moiaten she dry matter by the mechan-
zeal operation while ct the same Tins
certain organs are pouring forth l
saved up from previous feeding TO CON
tlnus the dissolving process, and these
fluids contain acids and active fsrmsnts
which acs chemically on the foods thus
bringing O number of..proceBess 30 Bear
ct ouce on the changing OF the raw ma
terials into the circulating semi fluids
chyme and chyle and then into lymph
and blood. The whole process 10 divided
into several parts with long names
which we will not here recount. Is
suficss TO note that in feeding q COW
or other animal We are presenting raw
food material to be worked up BY the
internal process into the tissues, blood,
flesh, and bones of the animal, and we
should know something Of them in OF
der to appreciate thas our part, the
preparation or pretension should be
we'll done in order that the organisms
which can only act mechanically in q
certain way may have material Rt
hand in proper amount and proper
toned right TO give strength or speed,
20 make milk or gains in fash or fat.
When the boy or man begins TO ap-
preeiats these things, he will begin to
be ft to feed the hoga. Until then he
is not fB to do it. Thus, then, besides
q certain bulk and weight of food, there
must be waite enough TO reduce it to q
semI fluid mass. There may be con
siderable quantities of both dry food
and OF waEer taken Rt q time by some
animals, notably the COW, sheep, deer,
camel, etc, of a certain class, but
others cannot take such quantities, and
must have food and water at more fire.
quent intervals and in much less
amounts. By observing these points
and Distinctions we come TO accommo-
date our practice to the needs Of stock
as closely as may be with regard to
other things and the apparent health,
sprightliness and development Of the
animals. Thus by being more obServ
ant of the animals, one man or boy be
comes the bstter feeder than another;
he studies each animal and hnds out
how, and when, and what that animal
wants and needs to thrive. He feeds
what he has, aud buys feed often, in
order 70 prOpsrly combine them for
the animals 60 make the most of the
foods provided. This can be easily
learned, and whom mastered by q feeder
we see his stock improved. He no
longer lets COWS run at large and pick
up q prOcariouS living. He cannot
aft Jrd it. He begins TO sort out the
cows a. he fiads which best respond to
Oetter feeding; these he feeds better
for more profit whilst he discardB the
others. We are all at some point in
the scale Of intelligent feeding. We
are either bad, indifferent or good feed
ers, and all this, too, whether we have
ever tried to iced no more than our
selves or not. To learn to skillfully
feed ourself is to learn q great deal
about feeding other animals; but then
the special animal to be next fed would
need sons study until his needs were
found out.
There r right and wrong ways to
feed. Expensive and chsep ways, and
the latter may be the moss expensive.
To use q popular phrase, my reader,
where are you at in the scale of intelli
gent feedmgl We want K hear from
you and get some new thoughts and
ideas ON this subj oct. How should we
feed q COW, pig, horse, colt, sheep,
lamb, chickenI Why, anyone can feed
these animals. We grant that, but
what intelligence will be displayedi
Let Us try on that class nearss to our
every day affairs and try to gain in
making the rationG balance properly,
and in making our animals come up to
ther highest possible profitable produc
ton for us-a contest of this kind to
see who can, or who has the past year
fed his stock TO the full capacity or to
that degree which may yet seem most
profitable, although its low production
may have been caused by low feed,
and this low cost has turned a prois
at a wider margin than If q somewhat
more expensive feeding had been prac-
ticed.