128 



MANAGEMENT. 



P C ^ a da ^ is regarded by many 

 men as sufficient. The successful fitter of show cattle feeds 

 little at a time and often. That prince of cattle fitters, the 

 late "Willie" Watson, fed four times a day, viz.: at 5 a. m., 

 at 11 a. m., at 4 p. m., and at 8 p. m. 



Always feed a variety of food. Cutting, chopping, grind- 

 ing and steaming may not be practical in cattle feeding oper- 

 ations, but they can all be practiced to good advantage in the 

 feeding of show stock. They not only stimulate the appetite 

 of the animal, but they also save labor in mastication. Every 

 half hour saved in feeding is just so much added to rest a 

 most important consideration in fattening cattle. The feed 

 troughs should be kept scrupulously clean, especially in 

 warm weather, as fermentation will soon take place. The 

 health of the animal must be carefully watched. The slight- 

 est indication of dullness or delicacy of appetite should be 

 noted. Should sickness appear, avoid as much as possible 

 the use of medicine and cure-alls. Overfeeding and irregular 

 feeding is generally the cause of sickness in pampered ani- 

 mals. In such cases a good dose of linseed oil will usually 

 give relief, but dieting is the surest and most effective 

 method of combating such troubles. Keep the animals 

 short of feed for a day or two and they will soon return to 

 their normal state.- 



In our work we always aim to feed a variety of grain 

 feed. At present we are using a mixture of ground corn r 

 ground oats, ground barley, ground wheat, some gluten feed, 

 bran, and flaxseed meal. In addition to this, roots and green 

 forage crops should be fed at regular intervals to keep the 

 digestive system in regular order. 



The steamed feed can oftentimes be used to good 

 advantage. Animals inclined to be soft in flesh may be very 

 much improved by substituting cooked wheat for a consid- 

 erable amount of the corn ration. Molasses sprinkled on the 

 chopped grain or cut fodder will have a good influence in 

 making the ration more appetizing. 



Exercising. Exercise is very important. Different suc- 

 cessful fitters practice somewhat different methods of secur- 

 ing the same. Some advocate the keeping of the cattle in 

 box-stalls during the day in warm weather and allowing them 

 the run of a grass lot at night. The disadvantages of such a 

 system are that it is impossible to control the feed of the 



