116 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



keep in the crib. The bottom leaves are beginning to turn 

 brown then. Now hustle the cutting! Put in large shocks so 

 as to have as little exposed to the weather as possible, Draw 

 the tops tight and tie with binder twine. 



When ready to crib, husk out five or six average shocks and 

 find how many bushels of corn they yield. Calculate to leave 

 twenty-five bushels to the acre; husk out the balance by work- 

 ing around the shock, without untying any of it. Thus you 

 disturb the shock very little, and your husking is done about as 

 soon as your neighbors. 



It is necessary to have a small yard well protected by build- 

 ings, sheds, and high, tight fences to shield the cattle from the 

 cold winds. With warm water to drink, and corn fodder in 

 racks to pick at, the mercury may stand at zero or below, and 

 you will not see a humped up or shivering cow in the bunch, if 

 turned out regularly from four to six hours every pleasant day. 



Build frames or racks to feed in, by taking five plank two 

 by twelve by sixten. Put tzvo planks on a side, and the other 

 plank makes four pieces for the two ends. Put old posts in 

 the corners to nail to, a fence board in the center to prevent 

 the sides from springing apart, and you have a bottomless rack 

 that you can take hold of and turn over, whenever it needs 

 cleaning of refuse, thus saving much time and annoyance in 

 cleaning out tne old way where stationary racks are used. 



Get a couple of low wheels about sixteen inches in diameter, 

 have a couple of old wagon stubs fitted to them, attach to a 

 good, strong, wood axle; take two 4x4x16; lay across the axle a 

 little behind the center, bolt solid. Bolt a cross piece at each 

 end; put a couple of fence boards on lengthwise to fill the middle. 

 Spike on front ends a couple of 2x6's about two feet long for 

 runners. Attach doubletrees to the front end with a short chain, 

 and in a couple of hours on a stormy day you have rigged up a 

 truck upon which you can carry fodder enough for fifty cows and 

 one man can go to the field, load, and filll racks in three fourths 

 of an hour. Three such racks will hold enough for fifty head. 

 Whenever I have time, I fill my barn with fodder to use on 

 stormy days and in the spring. 



