ON STALL-FEEDING CATTLE. 249 



warm water, and the seeds will sprout in twenty-four to 

 forty-eight hours. 



There is one manifest advantage in sprouting seeds, — 

 it tests their goodness, and shows whether they will or 

 will not grow. A small quantity of seed-corn, submitted 

 to this test before planting, would in many instances pre- 

 vent great loss to the farmer. 



CHAPTER XXV. 



ON STALL-FEEDING CATTLE. 



In the management of our cattle, as in the management 

 of our crops, much is lost for want of system and regular- 

 ity. The stall-feeding of neat cattle for the butcher is 

 annually increasing, and promises to increase in interest, 

 as we progress in the culture of roots. There is proba- 

 bly the difference of one third to one half, in the profits 

 of the business, whether it is well or badly managed. 

 Under this view of its importance, we extract from the 

 'Farmer's Series' the following compendium of the man- 

 agement recommended in that work. 



" The first point is the comfort of accommodation ; 

 for in whatever way they [cattle] may be placed — whether 

 under sheds or in close ox-houses — they should have the 

 security of perfect shelter from the weather, with a certain 

 degree of warmth ; that is to say — if in open hammels, the 

 sheds should be broad, the roof low, and the floor well 

 covered with an abundance of dry litter. We are, how- 

 ever, decidedly of opinion, that close walls will further the 

 object more promptly ; though we do not coincide in the 

 idea that it will be promoted by too much heat ; and we 

 should therefore recommend a moderate degree of healthful 

 ventilation. In these stalls Htter is very frequently dispens- 

 ed with — or else sand, or any rubbish, is substituted for 

 straw ; but there can be no doubt that animals enjoy the 

 comfort of a dry bed as well as their master, and the more 

 they seek repose in it the better. 



