CATTLE. 109 



Cattle should be fed several times a day, and at regular intervals. They should be 

 given all they will eat, but not so much at a time that they will leave a large portion, and 

 waste it, or render it unfit for food by breathing upon and working it over. What remains 

 in the mangers can be swept out and used for bedding. Some farmers feed only three times 

 a day, but many prefer to feed four or five times a day. No definite routine or system of 

 feeding can be prescribed which will apply to all cases. 



The practice of the writer is usually to feed twice in the morning, and once each at noon 

 and night, the noon feeding frequently being done in the yard, when the cattle are let out 

 for a little exercise. 



Pure water should always be furnished in abundance at a place where all the cattle can 

 have access to it. Never allow them to drink stagnant or filthy water, but keep the 

 troughs and tanks for drinking purposes clean and well filled. These should be located in a 

 sheltered place where all can have an equal chance, and the weaker ones may not be kept 

 away by the stronger and ruling members of the herd. The more common practice among 

 farmers of watering stock only once during the twenty-four hours is not to be recommended. 

 All domestic animals should have plenty of water furnished them at least twice a day, and 

 we think those animals thrive best that have access to it whenever they wish. 



Cattle should also have a sufficient supply of salt. This is indispensable to their health 

 and comfort, being not only a luxury, but a necessity to them. It is well to have a few 

 quarts of salt kept in a box under a shed, to which they can have access whenever they wish. 

 By this means they will eat little and often; but when they have not had the salt for a long 

 time it is better to give them a small quantity of it every day until they become accustomed 

 to it, before allowing them to take it whenever they wish. 



Soiling. The term &quot;soiling&quot; is applied to the cutting and feeding while green, such 

 forage crops as may be profitably raised for the purpose. This system is practiced instead of 

 pasturing in many sections, and has its peculiar advantages in localities where the latter 

 method of management is inconvenient or unprofitable. While many farmers, having an 

 abundance of good pasturage might find soiling unprofitable, there are others so situated that 

 it would prove highly advantageous, and the profits of the farm be largely increased by its 

 adoption. 



It is admirably adapted to localities in the vicinity of cities and villages where 

 pasturage is scarce and expensive, or to those farms where it is desirable to maintain a large 

 number of cattle on a small area of land, and would prove more profitable under such 

 circumstances than where the land is rich and cheap. Soiling has been practiced in Europe 

 quite extensively, and also in this country considerably in certain sections during the past 

 few years, the system, like all things new, gradually making its way against the opposition of 

 the adherents of the older and common method of pasturing. Where conditions favor 

 it, and when fairly tested, it is generally regarded as a great improvement over the ordinary 

 system of management. It however requires considerable labor, foresight, and management 

 in order to secure the best results. 



With this method, arrangements must necessarily be made for enclosing the cattle in 

 stables, sheds, or yards while being fed, as well as an enclosure near the former sufficiently 

 large to admit of exercise in dry weather. The winter stables would of course be generally 

 found most convenient and economical for this purpose, requiring no additional outlay in 

 buildings or sheds. Some farmers use for this purpose open sheds with suitable racks or 

 mangers. 



Advantages of the Soiling System. The advantages of soiling might be summed 

 up in the following: By this means a large amount of dairy products is secured throughout 

 the season, as an increased flow of milk is the result of this practice when properly 

 VOL. II 7. 



