CARRYING CATTLE THROUGH THE WINTER 237 



pose at the same time he is not so situated that he can 

 cut the fodders or otherwise prepare them for feeding. 

 He should begin by feeding the sorghum. This should 

 be followed by feeding corn. The feeding of the straw 

 of cereals would accompany the feeding of the other 

 products, the straw being fed one end of the day and 

 the sorghum and corn the other. Later would come 

 the feeding of hay, the inferior being fed first and the 

 better class later. In some instances it may be advan- 

 tageous to mix the hay and straw cut or uncut in order 

 to insure a greater consumption of the latter. The feed- 

 ing of the roots or silage should, if possible, be made 

 continuous, and so fed that the quantity will be gradu- 

 ally increased with the advance of winter. As feeding 

 grain all the winter would unduly enhance the cost of 

 wintering with this class of animals, it should generally 

 be reserved for feeding toward spring. Were this pro- 

 cess reversed by feeding the better foods first the results 

 would not be satisfactory. 



Feeding cows forward in pregnancy. — Cows well 

 advanced in pregnancy should be well nourished while 

 being thus wintered during the non-producing period. 

 (See page 96.) While it will be to their benefit to 

 have the freedom of the yard, it may be necessary to 

 give them additional food at least once a day, apart from 

 other animals, which also may have the freedom of the 

 same yard. To allow them to fall away in fiesh would 

 proportionately lessen production when they are again 

 in milk. 



Pregnant cows should not occupy the same yard 

 with animals undehorned, lest injury more or less seri- 

 ous should result from the goring by cattle thus armed. 

 Nor should they be allowed to occupy the same yard 

 with horses or colts. They will be liable to injury from 

 the former through being kicked, and from the latter 

 through being chased while the colts are taking exercise, 

 simply because they are colts. 



