164 LIVE STOCK MANAGEMENT. 



An abundance of grass is one of the surest ways of secur- 

 ing good gains. Too many cattle feeders overcrowd their 

 pastures, and by so doing are always scarce of grass. "Grass 

 to the knees" is a good motto for the cattle feeder to frame 

 in his own mind and to put into practice on his farm. Plenty 

 of pure, fresh water should always be available. No effort 

 should be made, however, to induce feeding cattle to consume 

 large quantities of water, as it is not considered to be con- 

 ducive to the most economical gains. Fattening cattle usually 

 show a strong desire for salt, and this craving should be sat- 

 isfied by a reasonable supply. The excessive use of salt 

 leads to a heavy consumption of water, which is not consist- 

 ent with heavy gains. Where shelter is provided, granular 

 salt may be used, but if exposed to the weather rock salt only 

 should be supplied. 



Protection from the hot sun and flies should be provided. 

 For this purpose a good grove will be a valuable adjunct. 

 If natural shade of this kind is not available, it should be 

 provided for otherwise. Some of the most successful Iowa 

 feeders have large sheds and barns for this purpose. One 

 very successful feeder houses his cattle during the day in 

 hot weather and allows them the run of the grass lot at 

 night. During periods of drought forage crops can be utilized 

 to good advantage. Sweet corn is one of the best things for 

 this purpose. Sorghum and field corn can also be made to 

 serve a useful purpose. These crops, however, are largely 

 water during the early stages, hence must be fed in large 

 quantities to insure good returns. 



The shipping of grass fed cattle is an important point, as 

 grass cattle do not usually ship well. To ship such cattle 

 is a hard task, but it must be done, Where convenient it is 

 a good plan to place such cattle in a yard and feed them hay 

 for a day or two, reducing the corn ration somewhat. The 

 secret of shipping all classes of cattle is to place them on the 

 cars full of feed but with as little moisture as possible. Cattle 

 well bedded always ship better than those not thus provided. 



