86 THE MANAGJCMENT AND Fl-.ICUING OF CATTLi; 



they would consume of barley or rye meal, the appetite 

 would become cloyed, and the hazard would be present 

 that the digestive powers would be overtaxed, and yet 

 barley meal and rye meal may serve an excellent pur- 

 pose at such a time when properly fed. 



The amount of grain to feed the first winter sub- 

 sequent to weaning will depend somewhat on the age 

 at which the animal is to be finished. If it is to be 

 turned ofif in the early summer, it should be fed close 

 up to the limit of its capacity to consume, but if it is 

 to be carried on to the autumn, then feeding con- 

 centrates somewhat lower than what the animal will 

 consume will be in order, on the principle, first, that 

 high pressure feeding of concentrates long continued 

 tends to weaken digestion, and, second, that feeding less 

 than maximum quantities during these months will put 

 the system in proper condition for making greater gains 

 during the finishing months. In other words, vigorous 

 growth during those winter months is more important 

 than that degree of fat called for in the finished animal. 

 But when the animal is to be finished in the winter, it 

 should be pushed to the limit of its capacity to con- 

 sume. 



AVhen finished in the summer on grass during the 

 final months of fattening, the grain may be given to 

 the capacity of the animals to consume it. ^^'here corn 

 is cheap, that will be the principal concentrate fed, but 

 the ration will be in better balance, if, say, 20 per cent 

 is oats or bran, or in the absence of either, when, sav, 10 

 per cent is oil meal, cottonseed meal or gluten feed. In 

 the absence of corn, barley meal or barley and rve meal 

 may take the place of corn, but not quite so advan- 

 tageously. 



As the feeding is, in a sense, high pressure all along, 

 it will sometimes happen that the appetite will slacken 

 and the digestion will evidence tokens that are not quite 

 satisfactory. This may result in a change in tempera- 



