Our Animals. 35 



to digest and assimilate above the twenty pounds 

 she must consume to propel herself. Of course, 

 cattle, sheep, and horses, like the engine, have a 

 limit beyond which it is a waste of material, to say 

 nothing of the injurious effects and risk to the ma- 

 chinery. Fuel fed to an engine already blowing ofiE 

 steam might better have been consumed in a bonfire. 

 Forage in excess of what an animal can digest and 

 assimilate might better go into the dung-hill direct. 



The art, and science, and economy of feeding, 

 therefore, is to feed up to an animal's fullest capac- 

 ity. 



This seems like a very simple question, and one 

 that should be so self-evident that it requires no 

 mention, but when we look about and see the thou- 

 sands and tens of thousands of farmers whose policy 

 seems to be to see how little they can feed, instead 

 of how much, one is reminded that it is a point that 

 is seldom practised. Just here lies the great advan- 

 tage of the soiling system. It provides, as we shall 

 presently show, an abundance of rich succulent 

 food, so that a cow can feed up to her full capacity 

 every day of the year. 



When Insufficiently Fed. 



It is not only absolutely necessary, in order to feed 

 a cow economically, which is another name for feed- 

 ing abundantly, that she should be fed up to her 

 fullest capacity, but she must begin there and keep 

 there. If she is not started there, it is not only 

 diflBcult but more expensive to get her there. She 



