1921.] Winter Feeding of Livestock. 725 



WINTER FEEDING OF LIVESTOCK 

 WHEN ROOTS ARE SCARCE. 



E. T. Halnan, M.A., Dip. Agric. (Cantab.), 

 Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. 



Stock feeders this year have been faced with a somewhat 

 difficult problem, i.e., how to provide for the -s^inter feeding of 

 their stock. The abnormal season has resulted in a general 

 shortage of roots, and owing to the long-continued drought, 

 green crops drilled during the summer months have either failed 

 to come through, or have been killed after germinating. The 

 writer is aware of one case, where white turnips have been drilled 

 three times and have then failed to yield a crop. In addition to 

 this, in many distiicts the hay crop is short, as little as 10 tons 

 being taken off 50 acres. There are three conditioTis that have 

 to be pro\^ded for this year : — 



(1) Farms where both roots and hay are short. 



(2) Farms where roots are short but hay and straw are 



moderately good. 



(3) Where roots are short but straw is plentiful. This is 



generally the position in the Eastern Counties. 



Farmers have mainly faced the difficulty by keeping less stock, 

 and in the case of sheep flocks, by reducing their ewe flock, 

 fattening off and marketing their ewes. The markets have lately 

 been fairly full with 2, 3 and 4-shear ewes int-ended for the 

 butcher. This is perhaps the easiest way out of a difficult 

 position, but the farmer who chooses this course will be selling 

 his ewes in a cheap market with the prospect of buying 

 later at a dear rate. It may therefore be opportune to discuss the 

 general problem involved, and to see whether, after all, it may 

 not be possible to adopt an alternative solution. 



Where both hay and roots are short (case 1), a reduction of 

 the number of stock kept must be effected unless a certain 

 amount of straw is available, when the conditions approximate to 

 those of case 3, and the same general rules laid down there can 

 be followed. Hay and straw are necessary for cattle, sheep and 

 horses. These animals require a certain amount of bulk in their 

 food which can only be supplied by hay or straw. In the case of 

 cattle and horses, about 14 lb. of rough fodder per day is abso- 

 lutely essential for the animals' well being; any attempt to go 

 below this will, especially in the case of cattle, lead to discomfort 

 and general restlessness and unthriftiness. In Germany, where 



