CARRYING CATTLE THROUGH THE WINTER 23I 



on the arable farm, cattle that are being thus yarded will 

 turn to good account much of the litter that has been 

 used in the horse stalls. Something has been imparted 

 to itj probably, by coming more or less in contact with 

 the urine that cattle relish. It has not been shown here- 

 tofore that any detriment follows from allowing yarded 

 cattle to pick it over when ejected from the horse stable. 



Cattle thus wintered may be made to utilize rejected 

 portions of food that have been fed to other animals for 

 production of some kind. Such rejected food may be 

 found in feed lots where cattle are being fattened, in the 

 mangers of cows giving milk, and in the mangers of 

 work horses. While those rejected portions may be 

 unsuited to the needs of the animals mentioned, they 

 may serve a good purpose in feeding animals of the 

 classes that are now being considered. That they may 

 glean after cattle that are being fattened an additional 

 yard will be needed. 



Under some conditions the tops of beets and the 

 rejected portion of the roots adhering to them may be 

 profitably used in carrying cattle through the winter. 

 Especially is this true where the snow-fall is light, and 

 the winter weather is not usually severe. More com- 

 monly the tops are left in heaps in the field where they 

 grew, and there the cattle are allowed to help them- 

 selves. When they are given access to straw in the fore- 

 part of the day and to the beet tops in the latter part, 

 the ration will be cheapened and its consumption pro- 

 longed. To put straw to such a use is, of course, vastly 

 better than to burn it, as is so frequently done in cer- 

 tain areas of the West. 



The precise methods of feeding straw and stalks 

 to those classes of cattle will, of course, vary. When 

 the supply is limited, the cattle should not be allowed 

 access to the stacks. If located in the yard, they should 

 be protected by some kind of a fence, and not until they 

 have picked over the straw put into the feed boxes from 



