44 THE MANAGEMENT AND FEEDING OF CATTLE 



comes mainly in the form of snow. A\'here such protec- 

 tion cannot be furnished, a shed made of poles and 

 covered with an abundance of straw will answer. Such 

 a shed, open in front, should have considerable depth, 

 but it is not necessary that the covering or roof shall 

 gi^-e a higher space below than, say, 6 to 7 feet. It 

 should face the early or midday sunshine. 



Where winter climates are moderate, and the ther- 

 mometer but rarel_y falls below zero, any kind of struc- 

 ture that will shut out drafts and protect from falling 

 storms will be ample. In some portions of the United 

 States the winters are so mild and dry that protection 

 other than that furnished by a cliff or deep ravine or 

 dense grove is not necessary when there is an occasional 

 storm. Under any conditions, cattle of the age men- 

 tioned may be successfully wintered in open sheds, but 

 the amount of food consumed will be less when the in- 

 closures can be made to bring reasonable comfort to 

 the animals all the time. 



Animals that are being pushed for baby beef must be 

 kept so warm as to be subjected virtually to no discom- 

 fort from cold. Stamina and endurance in these is not 

 a necessity further than that they shall be possessed of 

 enough of both to enable them to bear up well under 

 forced feeding given under artificial conditions until 

 ready for slaughter. It is not a real necessity that these 

 conditions will have any considerable bearing on the 

 development of stamina of the highest type. 



AAith animals grown for beef, and to be finished at 

 maturity or when approaching it, the possession of 

 ruggedness is relativel}' more important. They go on 

 for a longer time and ultimately pass through a forcing 

 period when getting ready for the block. They must 

 needs be given greater liberty than the former for tak- 

 ing exercise. Such continuous confinement in winter 

 ma}^ Ije and is sometimes advantageous for the former, 

 but never for the latter. 



