198 FEEDING ANIMALS. 



found this food to work well with brood mares and their 

 foals. Having the food of the mares wholly under control, 

 their production of milk will be more uniform, and the 

 growth of the foals much better, than on pasture. The 

 dam requires full feeding upon appropriate food, and this 

 may always be given in soiling, as any defect in the succu- 

 lence and nutrition of the grasses or other soiling food 

 may be supplemented with middlings, oil-meal and oats. 

 The foals are also constantly under the eye of the feeder, 

 easily become accustomed to handling, and may be taught 

 to take other food at a younger age. Early familiarity with 

 the attendant and docility are not only favorable to the 

 foal's progress in development, but to its easy management 

 at the training age. The vigorous, steady and healthy 

 growth of colts is most essential to their future value as 

 serviceable animals, and, therefore, to the profit of the 

 breeder. Soiling offers the most complete control over the 

 food and management of the colts, and, therefore, under 

 this system they may be grown with much more uniform 

 success, and, on land worth fifty or more dollars per acre, 

 much cheaper than by pasturing. As we have shown in 

 another chapter, the foal responds more quickly to the use 

 of oow's milk than any other food after weaning, and this 

 may be skimmed milk, after teaching it first to drink new 

 milk. The colt being under attention in soiling, this extra 

 food may be given with very little labor. From consider- 

 able experience we regard the soiling system as well 

 adapted to the raising of horses in all stages, from the 

 suckling colt to the mature horse. 



SOILING CATTLE. 



We have treated incidentally of this subject in previous 

 pages, but will here speak of the appropriate arrangement 

 of cattle in soiling economically. 



1st. Those who believe that steers should have full 

 liberty and freedom of exercise at all times through the 



