Practical Agriculture. 
499 = 253 
'rotect the animals by suitable shelter and covering, that is to 
ly, prevent radiation and conduction of heat from their bodies, 
nd they will eat less and yet lay on more flesh and fat. This 
; what theory says. 
In open yards, however, there are the greatest facilities for con- 
erting whole straw into manure, and the cattle thus fed require 
;ast attendance and look well when brought to market. Of 
ourse, both stock and manure suffer from exposure to prolonged 
/at and protracted cold weather. 
, Nearly all the Norfolk beasts are fed in open yards, holding 
3n to twenty each ; and the Norfolk farmers, some of the best 
lanagers in the kingdom, find the system well adapted to their 
usbandry, which, being the four-course, furnishes them with 
large quantity of straw for litter. In Lincolnshire this 
•eatment of fatting cattle is not carried to the same extent, 
^he stores and half-fat animals intended for the next summers' 
irazing are fed in open yards, with open shed-roofs or shelters, 
;)r them to run under. Some managers fatten bullocks in yards ; 
ut the majority are finished off in stalls or boxes. 
Where straw is not superabundant, the open-yard system of 
ittening is wrong, on the ground of waste ; and housing is 
Bquisite for the purpose of economising straw. It is argued 
aat as the open-air system is at fault, in failing to utilise to 
16 best advantage one of the main cattle-food products of the 
irm, either there should be more cattle fed in boxes with the 
bundance of straw, or else more white-straw cropping is grown 
lan can be dealt with most economically. But this opens 
p the question of the best system of husbandry adapted to 
ach particular description of land — and that depends upon 
lany other considerations besides the consumption of straw, 
he old-fashioned, but still prevalent open-yard feeding, with 
s careless use of straw and its loss of caloric from the animals' 
odies, is not to be put right at a single stroke by just shutting 
p the cattle in houses and cutting the straw for them. 
Stall-feeding is about as old-fashioned as feeding in open 
Durts ; but it has not died out yet, and bids fair to last for gene- 
itions to come. 
The commonest arrangement is for the animals to stand in Stall-feeding. 
,airs, two in a stall, that is, between low boarded divisions, 
.ach beast being chained by the neck to a ring that can slide 
p and down a long staple in a post. A trough or manger, low 
own, is in front of the animals ; and either a small water 
rough, placed so that both beasts can drink out of it, or else 
ne long trough (higher up than the manger and further from 
he animals) runs the entire length of the building and supplies 
11 the animals. 
