PRACTICAL FARMER. 



173 



GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF REARIIVG, MAN- 

 AGIN« AND PEEOUVG DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 



After tlie hirtli,ll!e first interfertMico on the part 

 of rnnn, should he tliat of supplying the inother 

 with food of a light and delicate quality, .compar- 

 ed to that wlitch she had been in the habit of us- 

 ing, and also of administering the same descrip- 

 tion of food to the offspring, so far as it may by 

 its nature be able to use it. — The general treat- 

 ment should accompany these ofierations ; and the 

 opportunity taken of familiarizing both parent and 

 offspring with man, by caressing them, or at least 

 by familiar treatment on the part of the attendant. 



As the animal increases in size and strength, 

 they should hnve abundance of air, exercise and 

 food, according to their natures ; and whatever is 

 attempted b}^ man in the way of taming or teach- 

 ing, should be conducted on mild and conciliating 

 principles, rather than on those of harshness and 

 compulsion. 



FOOD. 



Food, though it must be su[»plied in abundance, 

 ought not to be given to satiety. Intcrvtds of 

 resting and exercise must be allowed according to 

 circumstances. Even animals grazing on a rich 

 pasture, have been found to feed faster when re- 

 moved from it once a day, and either folded or 

 put in an inferior pastin-e for two or three hwurs. 

 Stall-fed cattle and swine will have their flesli im- 

 proved in flavor by being turned out into a yard 

 or field once a day ; and many find that they -feed 

 better, and jiroduce belter flavored meat when 

 kept loose under warm she Is or ham.mels, one or 

 two in a division, a practice now very general in 

 Berwickshire. * * * 



* * In general it may be ob- 



served, that if the digestive powers of the animal 

 are in a sound state, the more food he eats, the 

 sooner will the desired result be obtained ; a very 

 moderate quantity beyond sufficiency, constitutes 

 an abundance : but by withholding this additional 

 quantity, an animal, especially if yoimg, may go 

 on eating foi' several years, without ever attaining 

 to fatness. 



GROWING ANIMALS. 



In yotmg growing animals, the powers of di- 

 gestion are so great, that they require less rich 

 food than such as are of mature age; for the same 

 reason also they require more exercise. If rich 

 food is supplied in liberal quantities, and exercise 

 withheld, diseases are generated, the first of which 

 may be excessive fatness. * * 



Common sense will suggest the propriety of pre- 

 ferring a ni'-dium course between very rich and 

 very poor nutriment. # * * 



iSnlt, it appears, from various experiments, may 

 be advantageously given to most animals, in very 

 small quantities; it acts as a whet to the appetite, 

 jiromotes the secretion of bile, and in general, is 

 lavorable to health and activity. In this way on- 



ly can it be considered as preventing or curing 

 disease ; unless perl)aps in the case of worms, to 

 which all saline and bitter substances are known 

 to be injurious. * # * 



Where a sufficient degree of warmth to pro- 

 mote the ordyiary circulation of blood is liot pro- 

 duced by the natural climate, or by exercise, it 

 must be supplied by an artificial climate. Houses 

 and sheds are the obvious resources both for this 

 purpose, and fi)r jtrotection from extremes of wea- 

 ther. Cold rains and northerly winds are highly 

 injurious, by depriving the external surface of the 

 body of caloric more ra| idly than it can be sup- 

 plied from within by res|»iration, and the action 

 of the stoma«di ; and also by contracting the pores 

 of the skin, so as to impede circulation. When 

 an animal happens to shed its covering, whether 

 of hair, wool or feathers, at spcli inclement sea- 

 sons, the efTects sn its general health are highly 

 injiirinus. The excessive heats of simmier, by 

 exjianding all the parts of the animal frame, oc- 

 casion a degree of lassitude, and want of energy 

 even in thestomach and intestines ; and while the 

 animal eats an<l digests less food than usual, a 

 greater waste than usual takes place by perspira- 

 tion. Natiu-e has provided trees, rocks, caverns, 

 hills and waters, to moderate these extremes of 

 heat and weather, and man imitates them by hov- 

 els, sheds and other buildings, according to jiar- 

 ticular circumstances. 



AIR AND WATER. 



Good air and water it may seem unnecessary to 

 insist (Ml ; but cattle and horses, and even poultry 

 pent up in close buildings, where there are no fa- 

 cilities for a change of the atmospiiere, often suf- 

 fer on this account. A slight degree of fever is 

 produced at first, and after a time, when the habit 

 of the animal becomes reconciled to such a state, 

 a retarded circulation, and general decay or dim- 

 inution of the vital energies takes place. 



MODERATE EXERCISE. 



Moderate exercise ought nut to be dispensed 

 with, where the flavor of animal produce is any 

 pbject ; it is known to [nomote circulation^ pers- 

 piration and digestion, and by consequence to in- 

 vigorate the appetite. Care must be taken, how- 

 ever, not to carry exercise to that point where it 

 becotru.'s a labor instead of a recreation. In some 

 cases, as in feeding swine and poul'ry, fatness is 

 liastened by promoting sleep and preventing mo- 

 tion, rather than encouraging it, but such animals 

 cannot be considered healthy fed ; in fact their 

 fatness is most commonly the result of disease. 



TRANQUILLITY. 



Tratiquility is an obvious requisite, for where 

 the passions of brutes are called into action, by 

 whatever means, their influence on their bodies is 

 often as great as in the human species. Hence 

 the use of castration, complete or partial separa- 

 tion, shading from too much light, protection from 



