The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-09-17
CARE OF HORSE IN WINTER

NNrtE UT 7OhSE IN WIN ER,
 E. J. Waterstripe In the Farm and Fire
 side.
 It is not winter yet and may be a little ahead of time, but 1t Is not too soon to begin making preparations. The first thing l am going to say Is. make an eff fort to keep your horses comfortable with good feed. It will pay the highest rate of interest, and no man ever regrets keeping his horses we'll
 have found that 1t pays to keep a horse well. To keep a horse any other way than comfortable and with plenty of food is cruel, and all unnecessary cruelty IS sin. There are many horse owners who commit this sin each year, and at the same time lose money and honor by doing it.
 As winter approachesgw, the horse. Gas well as all stock should De provided with warm and comfortable stable. If you cannot provide something good for your horse it would be wise to sell him. heard one man argue that he could turn his horses out into an open field, with no protection but a wire fence, and they would do well, and come out strong and healthy in the spring. It may be that in some cases they would be alive in the spring, but how could they be fit to do full summers work? Such business does not show civilization, but rather the opposite
 Many horses are kept drought the winters on a cold, bare floor, and others have to stand and lie down in the mud, without the least sign of bedding. Many will say there Is no use of wasting straw for bedding. but there is use for 1t. It makes the horse comfortable. and makes the manure better, as it absorbs the liq- uids. The straw or poor hay which is used will pay for itself in the increased value of the manure. How does a horse look when kept with & little or no bed- ding? How does he look with manure sticking on him? Anything pays that will serve to keep a horse comfortable. I use bedding libera1ly for all my stock dur ing the winter. Some may say I am waste ful but I don't believe it. If you have not yet made preparation tor bedding for stock, give it a thought at once and think where you will get it.
 The horse needs good food in winter something that will keep up vitality so he will be in readiness for spring work. A horse needs something more 4an just being turned to a straw stack or fed on timothy hay or corn fodder. These will do we'll as part of the ration, but some thing more concentrated is needed as the roughage alone cannot supply the wants of the horse. If the horse Is fed on good clover ana timothy hay with 1ttle corn and oats, he has a good ration. Do not feed too much grain while he is idle.
 It is best for the horse to have eser- else daily, except when 1t Is stormy. If you do not have light work for them turn them out in lot for exercise. If this was practiced by all horse owners horses would have fewer ailments.
 1 now have my oats stacked ready to be threshed, and have stacked one stack near the barn to feed to horses this winter. I think sheaf oats with little corn Just fine for the purpose. The horses will eat the heads and the best Of the straw; the rest goes for bedding, which Is just what Is needed. One draw back to this is that the mice get Into the oats.
 Do not forget that the horse needs wa ter in winter as well as in summer. Dur ing the winter the horse should have water two or three times a day. Do not neglect this, and make your horse suffer for water when you have plenty, thinking he does not need 1t.
 Don't forget any comfort for the horse but do away with all cruelty When we get to keeping our horses better we will have better horses.