PRINCIPLES OF FEEDING. 39 



The improved one or two horse gear is particularly adapted for 

 driving chaff-cutter and pulper. We are acquainted with a 

 farmer who has about 100 head of cattle of all ages in his boxes, 

 stalls, and yards, during the winter. A strong Galloway pony 

 does the work, the operations of pulping and chaff-cutting being 

 performed separately ; the chaff, as cut, falls down on to the 

 floor where the pulper stands. The largest feeding beast gets 

 801b. a day ; the younger animals, which are not feeding, but 

 growing, from 201b. to 401b. The store animals have more 

 straw chaff than the fatting beasts, the rule being to allow them 

 as much as they can eat up clean. The mixture of roots and 

 chaff offers an excellent medium for the distribution of artificial 

 food in the form of meal. 



Animals thus fed should have water offered to them once a 

 day ; the cattle in the yards can drink when they like. The 

 fatting beasts will usually take about two or three gallons a 

 day. Bearing in mind Liebig's views as to the loss sustained 

 by each motion of the body, there must be a decided gain in 

 presenting the food in a state requiring so little labour in 

 mastication. The work of filling the belly is effected in a much 

 shorter time than formerly, consequently there is more time for 

 rest, which is a condition favourable to the deposition of fat. 

 The number of animals we can feed out is usually determined 

 by the supply of roots. If, then, by pulping, we can economise 

 the roots by at least one-third, it follows that the system allows 

 of extra stock to that amount being made out. Taking the 

 time of feeding to be six months, and the quantity of pulped 

 roots to be 801b. against 1201b. sliced, it follows that we shall 

 save fully 3 tons, worth at least 30s. a head. Winter feeding of 

 cattle is often held to be an expensive necessity, and no wonder, 

 with the costly method too frequently employed. We believe 

 that, under judicious management, the winter feeding of cattle 

 is the cheapest method of maintaining and increasing the 

 fertility of our land. 



We have said that in many districts the system of feeding is 

 still costly and extravagant. This is very apparent in the 

 wasteful practice with regard to straw. Now, if properly made 

 and taken due care of, a large portion of the straw should be 

 used as food, as it bears a considerably higher value for this 



