546 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



is only a few months ago that I learned the German standard, whereas I 

 have worked on my principle for many years, and as yet I see no good 

 reason for change in favor of the German. 



"Frequency in Feeding. — Frequency in feeding with as much variety 

 as possible in the bill of fare and no greater 'quantity given at each time 

 than will be directly consumed are in my belief the first principles to 

 successful feeding. To supply more than will be eaten at once is not 

 only wasteful, but it encourages the animal to become dainty of its food, 

 which bad habit in the end prevents the eating of a proper quantity. 

 As soon as the animal has finished feeding let the man in charge clean 

 most scrupulously the feed boxes, as daintily fed animals loathe food that 

 has been blown upon. It is seldom two animals feed alike, so the herds- 

 man or feeder must study exactly the quantity each animal will consume. 

 If they do not get sufiicient they will remain restless and not lay on fiesh 

 as they ought to; if they are overfed they become disgusted and refuse to 

 eat. Many animals, if judiciously handled, will eat a heaped pailful of 

 my mixture four times a day; that is, from eighteen to twenty pounds 

 at each feed. 



"It is very necessary to question your stockman daily as to the condi- 

 tion and health of the animals, as they are apt to forget to tell you if 

 an animal shows any deviation from his healthy habit&. Should sickness 

 appear, avoid as much as possible the use of medicines. Overfeeding 

 is generally the cause of sickness in pampered animals, and in such 

 cases a good dose of flaxseed oil will give relief, but there is nothing 

 to compare with diet. Keep the animals short of feed for a day or 

 two and they will soon return to their normal state. 



''Feed Ration. — Now for the main point — the feeding ingredients. 

 In order to make the calculation simple of the measurement and mixing 

 of the several meals we will consider their relative weights by the pound 

 as follows: 



1st. One pound oats, crushed. 



2d. One pound barley, crushed. 



3d. One pound maize, or Indian corn, crushed into meal. 



4th. One pound wheat, crushed. 



5th and 6th. One-half pound peas, One-half pound beans, crushed 

 into meal. (One pound peas can take the place of both.) 



7th. One pound bran. , 



8th and 9th. One pound best flaxseed, ground into flour and one 

 pint molasses; mix both together for soup, and divide into four portions, 

 one-quarter for each feed. 



10th. One double-handful of sweet hay chaff given in every feed, so 

 as to promote digestion and rumination. 



11th. One double-handful of pulped roots— about four pounds — in 

 every feed, mixed with the grains. 



"Mix all thoroughly together, and feed the animals four times a 

 day, according to appetite and constitution. Water four times daily, 

 and always before feeding; never fail to take the chill off the water 

 during winter; let the temperature be about 50 degrees Fahrenheit. 

 Make soup of the flaxseed and molasses; put as much water in a pail 

 as you think will be necessary to saturate the entire mess of meal, etc., 



