SOILING CATTLE. 199 



summer may arrange a double rack, with a feeding trough 

 or manger for grain on each side, under the center of an 

 open shed, high enough to drive a wagon under and deliver 

 the soiling food into the rack. This rack will accommo- 

 date a row of cattle on each side, and may be constructed 

 in several ways, but the following is as good as any: 

 Construct a platform 4 feet 8 inches wide and 18 inches 

 high, of iK-inch plank, and let the two outside planks be 

 16 inches wide, and these planks form the bottoms of the 

 feeding troughs or mangers. Nail a plank 10 inches wide 

 on each edge of these outside planks, and you have a 

 manger 8K inches deep. Between these two mangers will 

 be a rack, consisting of sticks, round or IK inches square 

 and 4 feet long. Set these up 4 inches apart, 2 feet wide 

 at bottom, flaring 4 feet at top. These rack sticks may be 

 fastened to the manger at the bottom and between two 

 strips of board at the top to form an upper rim, tying 

 across from side to side every six feet. The green fodder 

 is thrown into this rack, and the cattle eat from either side. 

 The grain, or ground-feed ration, if any is given, will be 

 placed in the mangers. The greatest objection to this 

 mode of feeding is that the master animals may annoy the 

 timid ones. The steers may be tied, but this will add 

 somewhat to the labor ; or it might be arranged with gates 

 to shut in each animal, but most farmers would prefer to 

 have them loose. The rack should be long enough to give 

 2M feet to each animal. A careful feeder may devise 

 methods to give the timid animals their share. Pure 

 water should be provided near this feeding rack, where 

 the cattle may drink at pleasure. 



2dly. Those who have had most experience think a well- 

 ventilated stable, with the cattle tied so as to be easy,' 

 having freedom of action (the tie shown in figure 10, page 

 98, or the same somewhat modified and described on a 

 future page, is among the best), will give the best result 



