GENERAL CARE OF CATTLE. 361' 



highest vigor. The close confinement of a 

 stable is likely to be a strain on the general 

 system too, affecting the temper and the ner- 

 vous organism; and those that are thus kept 

 are often cross-tempered and given to chafing 

 and fretting, and in the end are very likely 

 to become actively vicious. Give the bull a 

 free, open pasture lot, sheltered from the cold 

 winds in the winter days, from the direct rays 

 of the sun in the summer, and let him have at 

 least twelve hours' quiet rumination there in 

 every twenty-four. A young bull, if inclined to 

 be restless in his lot and seemingly at a loss for 

 companionship, may often be better off for a 

 few bull calves in the same enclosure. An old 

 bull showing a like disposition is often made 

 quiet by being allowed to run at least a part of 

 the year with the dry cows. The freedom and 

 the exercise he must have or he will lose his 

 potency early; the companionship is not so 

 necessary. 



Again, no bull can do heavy service well on 

 pasturage alone, be it ever so good. There is 

 no better food ration than the best pasturage, 

 and it meets the requirements of animals under 

 ordinary conditions most admirably; but a bull 

 doing full service the year round is not living 

 under ordinary conditions and he needs a more 

 condensed ration, one which will give a greater 

 amount of nutritive food for the same bulk. 



