152 



FOD 



FOD 



The hay of low ground, straw and 

 haulm, if salt hay be not to be had, 

 may be sprinkled with salted 

 water, if saUing it in the mow has 

 been neglected. They will not 

 only eat it heartily, but live well 

 upon it. 



Wild grass hay is not fit for 

 horses, nor any of the water grass- 

 es. They will need some grain, 

 if they be fed on any other hay 

 besides clover. They should have 

 a small window against their rack, 

 to let in fresh air to their fodder, 

 and at the same time give them 

 light. If horses have not grain 

 through the winter, they should 

 have it at least in the fore part of 

 winter; for the coming on of win- 

 ter is the most trying season for 

 them. If they be fed with Indian 

 corn, it should be well soaked and 

 swelled; it will give them the 

 more nourishment. 



Neat cattle and horses should 

 not have so much laid before them 

 at once, as will quite serve to fill 

 them. The hay they have breath- 

 ed on much, they will not eat up 

 clean, unless when they are very 

 hungry. It is best, therefore, to 

 fodder them twice at night, and 

 twice in the morning. Let neat 

 cattle as well as horses have both 

 light and fresh air let in upon their 

 fodder, when the weather is not 

 too cold, or stormy, to allow the 

 windows to be open. What one 

 sort of cattle leave, should be 

 thrown to another sort. Those 

 that chew the cud will eat the 

 leavings of those that do not, and 

 vice versa. 



It is also well known to farmers, 

 that what cattle leave in the barn, 



they will eat abroad in the open 

 air ; and most freely when it is 

 laid upon clean snow. Not only 

 this, but the meanest of straw 

 should be given them in this way. 

 What is left will help to increase 

 the manure in the yard. 



Every farm yard, where any 

 considerable stock is kept, s'lould 

 be furnished with a large shed, 

 and a rack under it. For where 

 there is no clean snow to lay the 

 straw, and other mean fodder up- 

 on, it should be put into the rack. 

 A larger proportion of the dung 

 will be dropped under the shed, 

 than in any other part of the yard. 

 And this dung will be better than 

 the rest, as it will not be washed 

 by rains, nor so much dried by the 

 wind and sun. 



Sheep, when they are under cov- 

 er, should draw their hay through 

 a rack, made so close as just to 

 admit their noses. They should 

 have good hay, and a cool and dry 

 house. Beans is a sort of food 

 they eat very greedily, and even 

 the straw. But it is said, that 

 ewes with young should not be 

 allowed to eat many beans ; as it 

 will make their lambs grow too 

 large within them. Neither should 

 they be fed too generously, nor 

 to the full, till near the time of 

 lambing. 



When a farmer thinks that he 

 has too much stock for his fodder, 

 as will sometimes be the case, it is 

 not best to pinch them in their al- 

 lowance so much in the fore part 

 of winter as in the latter part. For 

 the cattle are more liable to be 

 pinched with the cold, in Decem- 

 ber and January, than afterwards. 



