Raising Animals for Meat
By PROFESSOR THOMAS SHAW.
fUR PRACTICE of growing meat-l
I making animals quickly is of com
paratively recent date. Years ago
tho aim was rather to winter the ani
mals cheaply without much regard to
any growth made, and to depend upon
the season for vegetative growth to
make increase in the growth of the ani
mal. Under such conditions maturity
was deferred and development was
hindered in proportion to the length
and frequency of the period whan tho
animals wero on short rations or on
rations not well suited to make growth.
Tha rule is now, or at least it ought
to b?, to keep meat making animuls
pushing along quickly when grown on
the arable farm until tbey reaeh ma
turity. The aim should be to have no
periods of stagnation in growth. But to
this, method thero may be some excep
tions. Some of these will be duly noted.
The reasons why growth should be
continuous and reasonably rapid include
the following:
(1) Gains are less rapidly made as
the birth period is receded from, not
withstanding the greater relative
amounts of food called for to make the
gains. (2) The longer that an animal
takes to reach maturity or to attain to
a given weight tho greater will bo the
amount of lood consumed that is desig
nated food maintenance. (3) The more
frequent and prolonged and the more
severe the periods of stagnation in
growth are tho more is the capacity of
the animal lessened to make growth.
Gains Lapid Near Birth Period.
That gains, especially in bovines and
sheep, when the young animafs are suit
ably fed, will be mout rapid near the
birth period, and that they will grow
less and less as the birth period is re
ceded from, has been so completely
demonstrated by actual test that it can
not be gainsaid; no one disputes such a
claim any more. The singular feature is
that more and more food is called for to
make gains as the birth period is re
ceded from, notwithstanding that the
gains are made less. Two reasons at
least may be assigned for this: One is
that the assimilative rowers lose some
thing in their activity as the birth
period is receded from. That it is so is
e -idenced in the fact that aged persons
gradually shrink in flesh, notwithstand
ing tho considerable quantity of food
that is eaten.
That the longer th term called for
to bring an animal to maturity the
greater will be the cost of the food of
maintenance is self evident. But this
greater cost docs not arise simply from
the longer period during which the ani
mal must be maintained. It arises in
part also from thj greater cost rela
tively of the food of maintenance as age
advances. Thus an animal at 36 months
Bloating of Cattle and Sheep
FOR CATTLE.
AP at once in severe cases. Make a
small incision through the skin on
tho left side between hip point and
last rib, about four inches below the
spine. A canula and trocar (a trocar
is a sharply pointed instrument inclosed
in a hollow tube, the canula) is tho best
instrument for puncturing the stomach.
Insert this through the incision in the
Bkin, press downwards and inward till
the stomach is punctured. Withdraw the
trocar and leave the canula in the
wound until all the gas has escaped
through it, which will be an hour or
more. Then withdraw tho eanula, wash
wound with an antiseptic solution and
allow it'to heal naturally. If there is no
trocar and canula at hand, a pocket
knife may be used, but is not nearly as
satisfactory.
In less severe cases, pass a piece of
Tope, soaked in tar or dip, between the
jaws and tio it around the boms. This
will cause the animal to work fail jaws
and gullet and so tend to open up the
passageway for the gas to escape. Pour
cold water over tho animal's kidneys
and blanket it.
Two ounces of turpentine, diluted
with milk, ounce doses of aromatic
spirits of ammonia diluted with water,
four ounces of .Jamaica ginger well di
luted in hot water, and two tablespoon
ful doses of common baking soda in
TTOME AND FARM
will cost more relatively for food of
maintenance than one at 13 months. It
follows then that the cost of the food
of maintenance in the former will be
more than twice as n?uch as in tho lat
tor.
Stagnation in Growth.
Periods of stagnation in growth, espe
cially when they occur at an early
period in the life of the animal, hinder
future development in that they take
away the capacity of the animal to
make gains subsequently as it otherwise!
would. This is ovidenced in calves that
are stunted in growth during the milk
period from a lack of nutrition result
ing from ill feeding. Thus the loss from
stagnation in growth becomes a double
loss. It is first a loss in the food of
maintenance, and second, more or less
of a loss of capacity to make increase.
From what has been said, the wisdom
of pushing on animals quickly from
birth to maturity will be apparent, or
at least from birth to the period of
disposal. This, however, applies more
to the arable farm than to conditions
that are more extensive. Where cattle
and sheep are grown entirely on rough
grazing lands or on lands that produce
but little food in the concentrated form,
as for instance in the form of grain, it
may be more profitable to keep them
for a longer period than to buy con
centrates and feed to them in the hope
of shortening the period called for when
preparing them for the market,
Maturing Too Slowly.
But even on pasture lands it would be
easily possible to mature them too
slowly, and to maintain them too long
before putting them on the market.
Take for instance the range which calls
for fouryears to mature tho animals
that are reared upon it. When, it is
called to mind that during the fourth
yeas the animal will make less increase
than during the second year, notwith
standing the greater consumption of
food, it would seem advisable to sell at
three rather than four years to those
who purchase such animals in order to
finish them cn the aable farm. Again,
the ranchmen who maintain wethers on
Western ranges after maturity that they
may simply supply them with wool for
the market, will certainly make more
money by the method that will give
them lambs instead of mature wethers,
as the lambs will bo making increase in
flesh while they are growing wool.
On tho arable farm tho wiser plan
is to feed more or less of concentrates
to animals that are growing during the
winter season. This may not be prac
ticable with live stock that are grown
under what may be termed extensive
conditions. All these' things and many
more should be carefully weighed by
those who grow livestock.
water are all remedies to be given as
drink. Give gentle walking exercise and
for a few days feed mashes and give
lukewarm water to drink. As an ounce
of prevention is worth a pound of cure,
never feed moldy or frozon feed and do
not pasture on heavy clover, alfalfa and
similar crops after a heavy dew or frost,
or a light rain.
FOR SHEEP.
Tap the same as for cattle, except tap
three inches below spinal column, in
stead of four. Be sure to clip off all wool
within a few inches of incision.
A remedy, not commonly known but
that has been successfully used by the
writer, is freshly drawn milk. When the
sheep is first noticed, run to the nearest
fresh cow and draw a quart of milk.
(Go to the nearest cow, whether the
owner's or a neighbor's, as a moment's
time may mean the lifo of the sheep),
Drench the sheep with this fresh warm
milk and in all but the severest cases
the animal will be up and moving in an
hour. Other remedies are: Epsom salts,
i pound; sweet spirits of nitre, 2 dessert
spoonfuls; bicarbonate of soda, 1 tea
spoonful; ginger, 1 tcaspoonful. Dis
solve in a pint of lukewarm water and
give as a drench. If this does not give
relief in an hour try: Raw linseed oil,
1 teucupful; spirits of turpentine, 1 des
sertspoonful. Give as a drench; if there
is no relief in two hours, try: Sweet
MAOAZTNK SECTION
spirits of nitre, 2 dessert spoonfuls; bi
carbonato of soda, 1 teaspoonful, gin
ger, 1 teaspoonful. Mix in a half pint
of lukewarm water and drench animal
every two hours till relieved.
Stable Rules
1. The best order in feed is: Water,
hay, water again, grain.
2. Never give grain to a tired horse.
Let him rest and nibble hay for nn hour
or two firiit. Grain in tho inangur be
fore the horse comes in looks bad.
3. Water tho horses as often as pos
sible; but lot tho horse that comes in hot
drink a few swallows only, until he is
cool,
4. Always water tho horse after he
has eaten his hay at night. Do not go
to bed leaving him thirsty all night.
5. Do not forget to salt the horse
once a week; or, better yet, keep salt
always before him. Ho knows beet hojv
i: uch he needs.
6. Give a bran mash Saturday night
or Sunday noon; and on Wednesday
night also, if work is slack. After a
lone day in very eold or wet weather,
a hot mash, half bran and half oats,
with a tablespoonful of ginger, will do
the horse god. Put very little salt, if
any, in tho mash. ,
7. If tho horse does not eat well, or
slobbers, examine his teeth.
8. Keep a good, deep, dry bod under
tho horse while he iB in the stable, day
or night, on Sundays especially. The
more be lies down, the longer his legs
and feet will last.
9. In crder to do well, the horse
must be kept warm. Give him a blanket
on cool nights in late summer or early
fall, and an extra blanket on an extra
cold night in winter.
10. In cold rains do not tie up the
horse's tail. The long tail prevents the
water from running down the inside of
his legs, and keeps off a current of air
from his belly.
11. Take off the harness, collar and
all, when the horse comes in to feed.
He will rest better without it.
12. Never put a horso np dirty or
muddy for the night. At least brush his
legs and belly, and straighten his hair.
13. In hot weather, and in all weath
ers if the horso is hot, sponge his eyes,
nose, dock, tho harness marks, and the
inside of his hindquarters when he first
comes m.
14. When the horse comes in wet
with rain, first scrape him, then blanket
him, and rub his head, neck, loins and
legs. If the weather is cold put on nn
extra blanke in twenty minutes.
Chango tho wet blanket when the horse
dries. Do not wash tho legs. Rub them
dry, or bandage loosely with thick
bandages. It is far more important to
have the legs warm and dry than clean.
15. To prevent scrntchos, dry the
horse 's fetlocks and heels when he comes
in, especially in winter; and rub on a
little glycerine or vaseline before he
goes out in snow or mud.
15. Examine the horse 8 feet when
ho comes in, and wash them if he does
not wear pads. If a horse in tho city
is not shod in front with pads, tar and
oakum, which is the best way, it is ab
solutely necessary to keep his feet soft
by packing them, or by wrapping a wet
piece of old blanket or carpet around
the foot, or by applying some hoof
dressing or axle oil, inside and out, at
least three times a week.
17. Let the horso have a chance to
roll as often as possible; it will rest and
refresh him. Give him a little clean
earth or a picco of sod to cat now and
then; ho craves it, nnd it is good for his
stomach and blood.
FEED THAT MAKES CHEA..' BEEF.
HERBEET QUICK, editor of Farm
and Fireside, tells the following
story in the current issue of his
publication apropos of the value of al
falfa: "Three years ago a stockman, who
farms about 1,100 acres of the finest
land in Ohio, was not much in favor of
alfalfa. He is a very progressive farm
er, but, like most of us, he was running
along in tne old corn-wheat-clover fash
ion. Ho had two men feeding for him
one an old colored man who had been
with him a long time, and the other nu
agricultural-college man. Ho also bad
a few acres of alfalfa. There was a
contest on between the colored man
and the expert as to which could put
more weight per bead per month on their
respctcivo herds. The first month's
weighing showed the expert in the lead.
The noxt weighing put the colored maa
s- far ahead that the expert wonaereo
how it could be. Both herds had good,
running water. Both had plenty of good
.. . . n it. L J .11
timotny ana Clover nay. noiu uau m
the good corn they could manage. Was
tho old negro a better focder than the
college manf
"It seemed so; but the expert, being
einntifieallv educated, besan looking
for tho reason in a scientific way. He
found that the only difference was to
bo found ia tho fact that tho crafty old
colored man had been systematically
mivincr alfalfa hav' with the ration!
Tho protein in the alfalfa had been go
ing into tho muscles and bones or me
cattle he fed.
"A good stockman needed no further
nmnf as to the value of alfalfa ovef
timothy and clover. Acting on this
proof, ho began working into annua,
l-l nlans to huild more silos, and as
soon as ho can will make his foeding
rotinn nne nf eorn-dilaire. car-corn and
alfalfa-hay. This ration is shown by
the tests at Lincoln, Nebraska, to be
the feed that will make beef cheapest"
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PS
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