CATTLE. 393 



lates to see his returns come in from the sale ol his beef, 

 mutton, and pork, and desires to know how his haj and grain 

 must be fed to make the most meat. Of course, we take it for 

 granted that he has breeds that will fat, for some breeds wil] 

 not, no matter what you feed them, and others will only fat 

 on such enormous quantities as tend to ruin the producer. We 

 have seen a great, big headed, paunchy ox, fed for - three 

 months beside a grade Devon, eating full one-third more, and 

 gaining less than one-half as mi^ch in the three months. 



Get a breed that will fat, and then keep them growing^ summer 

 and winter. It is wretched policy, east, west, north or south, to 

 let any animal lose a pound of flesh. That pound of flesh has 

 cost you money, and it will cost you money to replace it. 



A man who for any reason is obliged to pay twice for a piece 

 of property, is reckoned unfortunate, but many a farmer volun- 

 tarily pays six or eight times over for the same fifty pounds of 

 flesh, and wonders why farming does not pay any better. My 

 friend, when you get a pound of flesh, keep it. It won't cost 

 one-half as much as it will to replace it. 



If pasture get scant in the fall, so that animals have to trave 

 all day to satisfy their hunger, they will soon fall off in flesh. 

 The farmer should piece out the pasture by feeding cornstalks, 

 root tops, pumpkins, etc. Winter feeding, and care, is where 

 many farmers fail. Feeding stock of any kind from stacks is 

 miserable policy. Hay thus fed will not go more than one 

 half as far as when fed under shelter. The cold and wet cause 

 the cattle to eat more, and yet they do not thrive on it. Much 

 is trampled under foot and wasted. Says Mr. Allen: " The con- 

 sequence of all this is, that, through irregularity of feeding 

 and carelessness of distributing their food, and want of shelter, 

 the cattle lose flesh every day, and be their condition what it 

 may, on coming into winter quarters they go out 'spring 



