196 ELEMENTS OF AGRICULTURE 



of disease among human beings. The dairyman cannot 

 be too careful about the water he provides for his cows. 

 192. Pasturing. — Herbivorous or plant-eating ani- 

 mals in their native state make their living off the 

 plants growing naturally in the soil, and many domestic 

 animals are fed in this way. For a part of the year 

 at least they are turned out to find their own living 

 from the grass and other plants which form their food. 

 This is the method generally practiced for raising 

 animals that are to serve as food for man. In raising 

 cattle for market, the object is to produce the greatest 

 weight of flesh at the least possible cost. Where the 

 soil will grow grasses suitable for pasture, large tracts 

 of land are planted in grass, which furnishes a good' 

 living to the cattle grazing it. The labor and cost of 

 feeding is in this way greatly reduced, and the profits 

 resulting from the sale of the cattle correspondingly 

 increased. The bluegrass regions of the Eastern States, 

 and the great prairie regions of the West, supply 

 pasture for many herds of cattle. Sheep can make their 

 living on rougher and poorer fare than cattle, and 

 the mountains, while often too poor to support cattle, 

 will furnish excellent pasture for sheep. 

 • Even the best of pastures, however, can supply but 

 a scant living for domestic animals in wiater, and 

 during this season of cold other food in some shape 

 should be provided for them. During cold weather 

 animals require a constant supply of proper food to 

 keep them warm If not fed regularly, their store of 

 fat is all used up to maintain the proper body tem- 

 perature, and they become thin and weak, and unable 



