5340 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[August, 
(J00LING OFF . — Engraved for the American Agriculturist. 
Comfort of Animals. 
The animal's comfort and the owner's profit 
ar'j two very different things. Most men do not 
seem to consider that in the " eternal fitness of 
things " it has been ordered that there should 
be a very close relation between some very 
different matters, and that the animal's comfort 
and the owner's profit are very closely connect- 
ed £ The engraving which we present, exhibits 
a scene of most comfortable repose. The sleek 
sine having filled themselves in the meadow 
during the cooler part of the day, are now in 
the enjoyment of the delightful shade and cool 
stream. They stand and chew the cud of con- 
tentment, and are worried neither by the heat 
nor by fears. It is evident that the functions 
of deglutition, assimilation and secretion must 
go on with much more profitable results than if 
the cows stood fighting flies in the hot, dry 
noontide, restless and discontented. Think of 
the amount of power wasted in stamping and 
pawing dust in the hot sun, in swinging the 
pondrous heads of a score of cattle from one 
side to another to beat off the flies, and in the 
many nervous steps and motions a herd of cows 
"will make. Every one of these motions de- 
tracts from the amount of milk, or from the 
weight of the flesh of the animals. The wor- 
rying and the heat prevent the harmonious ex- 
cercise of the vital functions and there is really 
a considerable loss resulting daily to the farmer, 
be he feeder or dairyman. "With neat cattle 
and other ruminants this is obviously true, for 
they must spend much time daily .in chewing 
the cud. Willi horses, animals which do not 
ruminate, it is scarcely less the fact, for wherever 
there is good pasturage, they spend a good part 
of the day at rest, quietly digesting their food. 
A fruitful cause of the great decrease of milk 
in hot weather may be looked for in the dis- 
comfort of the cows. The abundance of graz- 
ing and of water early in the season secures an 
abundant flow of milk, and the drying of the 
pastures is accompanied by a decrease. The 
grass which grows in hot weather is more nutri- 
tious than the succulent growth of spring and 
early summer, and it requires a less amount to 
satisfy the animals. But even when the food 
supply continues, the. state of the weather 
makes a great difference in the quantity of milk 
given. Hot, dry weather will inevitably de- 
crease the amount, which will increase again 
when the weather changes. Much of this de- 
crease is due to the discomfort attending heat 
and dust and the attacks of insects, for with 
cows in soiling-stables there is but little vari- 
ation noticed. These cows are more comfort- 
able, have plenty of food and drink, shade and 
compan}', and soon seem to forget that they 
are deprived of liberty. Fattening animals 
which graze undisturbed in confined limits and 
have little k> distract their attention, and no 
ability or temptation to take much excercise, do 
much better than those in large herds which 
have considerable range, more or less fighting 
and bullying, and other causes which excite 
them, or at least disturb the even tenor of their 
thoughts. It has been abundantly proved that 
the less of exercise an ox or sheep takes, so long 
as it is in good health, the less it can see, and 
the less it has to attract its attention in any 
way, the quicker and better it will fatten. Very 
much the same thing is true of all animals, 
though horses need light and exercise much 
more than neat stock, sheep or swine. As con- 
cerns animals at pasture whether feeding for 
the shambles, yielding milk, or young growing 
stock, the principle is equally applicable. 
— ■ »» — ■ — ■— . ~ 
Nothing to Waste. — The manure heap 
should be the great savings bank of the farm. 
Deposits may be made here upon good interest, 
which would only be nuisances elsewhere. 
There are miles of weedy hedge rows, acres of 
swale hay, and tons of weeds growing all over 
the country which properly treated would yield 
thousands of dollars. The weeds, if left where 
they are, will be worse than wasted ; their seeds 
are already ripening for a tenfold or greater crop 
next year. Cut them down before it is too late, 
and compost them with lime and muck or ma- 
nure. After the swale hay is all secured, to be 
used as bedding and thus worked over int<* ma- 
nure, drain the spot where it grew, that "tame" 
grasses may hereafter feel at home, and give a 
better paying return. Much farm labor hardly 
pays in a pecuniary way, but labor upon the ma- 
nure heap will return 50 per cent on its cost. 
