WINTER PASTURING 325 



however, until grass came green in spring, then sud- 

 denly the cattle grew weak and our troubles began. It 

 was literally true that 10 times as many cattle starved 

 to death after green grass came as before that time, 

 though the weather -was much more favorable then. The 

 fact is that the first upthrust of the grass contains little 

 more than colored water; there is need of long days of 

 sun to put any sweetness or strength into it, and this 

 is as true of clovers and all plants grazed by beasts. It 

 is often well to allow cattle or sheep or horses to roam 

 over the pasture during winter; it is well if they are 

 fed on it, since thus the pasture is enriched, but the 

 moment the grasses begin to spring into growth at the 

 advent of warm weather, every animal should be taken 

 off and confined to the barns and yards. It is better 

 for them, because they will then continue to eat their 

 dry hay and grain with good relish. Their gains will 

 be far greater than if they were distracted by the lure 

 of tempting morsels of green grass, about as fattening 

 as pickles to the schoolgirl. It is better for the grass, 

 also, because having been besieged all winter by cold 

 and darkness, it now needs a chance to stretch up into 

 the sunlight and elaborate its sap, strengthen its root 

 system, and in general organize itself for the season's 

 campaign. There may be three times the weight of 

 grass taken from a properly managed pasture than will 

 come from one gnawed down right to the earth from 

 the day it first turns green in the spring. I am con- 

 vinced that this one almost criminal blunder of too early 

 stocking, more than any one other thing, has tended to 

 make pastures unprofitable. Many evils result from the 



