m^mt^tmd fciigrifiiif f.f <i"Tii
LiYG Stock.
CARE OP STOCK IN WINTEE.
ADDRESS BY J. J. W. BILLINGSLEY.
At the public meeting held at Exchange Hall in this city, on Saturday
last, tinder the auspices of Capital
Grange, Brother Fielding Beeler in. the
chair, the following address was delivered by J. J. W. Billingsley, and followed by general remarks of approval.
The next meeting will be held Saturday,
December llth, at the same place, at
2 p. M.
In the care bestowed upon stock there
are at least two prominent considerations:
1st. The profit to be derived from the
euro
2d. The laws of kindness to be observed, a moral obligation.
Domestic animals are intrusted to our
keeping for most noble purposes, and
how shall we so care for them as to make
them profit us most, and yet treat them
moBt humanely, is a two-fold question of
no small importance. _
If we say stock should be well cared
for, to yield a fair profit, we have only
stated a-proposition, the truth of whioh
every stock grower will readily assent to.
Yet when we go out to note the case
and compare results in the keeping of
stock we are astonished that some could
even imagine that they were keeping
their stock for either profit or from humane considerations.   If we say
HORSES
need dry, warm stables in winter with
a good supply of hay and oats or corn,
water, exercise, with grooming and
regular attendance, and as spring approaches needs to be gradually brought
into use in order to harden their muscles
and prepare them for constant service in
spring work, the truth of such a statement will be assented to at once by every
horse owner, but how few follow the
line of keep indicated. How many open,
filthy, muddy stables are made the prison
pens for half* fed or starving unp-oomed
horses through the winter month, is well
known to the observing stock grower.
Or in the •
CARE OP SHEEP,
if we assert that shelter from rain
storms in winter, regular feed, an occasional nip of grass will add to their comfort, fat, length of wool, weight of fleece,
strength and value of fibre, and a large
per cent, to their increase, it will doubtless be said of us that we have spoken
truly. So great is the difference in the
results of well cared for flocks in all the
points named, that it is not unfrequent
for them to double the poor flocks in
weight of wool and increase in pounds
of mutton to say nothing of the increased value of the wool product.
The good shepherd carries his lambs
to the fold to save life.
There are many flocks of sheep that
bear witness of poor keep in their staggering, tottering gate, their weak, bleating cries, with now and then one of
their number fallen to waste upon the
plain.
A warm fold, wholesome feed, pure
water, and kind care will bring a sure
reward (unless dogs interefere.)
IN THE KEEP OF HOGS
many still persist in feeding an ear or
so of corn per day through the hard
winter months, and as for shelter, let
them "root hog or die."
So we still find hogs running at large,
piling up beside logs or in the fence
corners, making night hideous with unearthly sounds of disquietude and we
have following in the train of such keep,
cholera, quinsy and other diseases.
Thousands die annually, all charged to
unavoidable fatality. The careful feeder
keeps in warm, comfortable quarters a
few well bred, choice sows over winter
which consume the pickings about the
farm or lots and the slops from the
kitchen, with such other necessary food,
and so bred as to bring their litters in
early spring, then feeding and slopping
the pigs as soon as they will eat until
they are ready for market, at the same
time running them upon grass or clover;
by such feed and care they are ready for
market in the fall, weighing at eight
or nine months some two hundred and
fifty or three hundred pounds (the most
desirable weight for market.)
Fall pigs should in our judgment be
highly fed in very clean comfortable
quarters; so well fed that they may lie
still in warm dry beds. Such care only
will give a profitable return for the food
consumed in winter.
Hogs not unlike other animals, adapt
themselves to their necessities in the
same and succeeding generation. If required to travel much for food their legs
become long, or if compelled to subsiston
little food their assimilating or digestive
.organs dwarf and tend to the "razor
breed;" or if required to root, their
Jsnouts grow long; or if unsheltered in
[winter their hair is long and shaggy.
I
\
The well kept, well developed pig has
a short snout, short neck, small short
leg., round full body, with fine assimilating organs, light coat of hair and is
fine. Such an animal is pleasing to look
at and profitable.
OP  CATTLE.
To illustrate the difference between a
very common practice and a more liberal
keep or care, (thongh less praotical), we
will suppose A. and B. each have on the
first day of October twenty head of two
year old steers. Weighing an average
1000 pounds. Cattle of such quality are
worth $4. per hundred. A concludes to
winter all of _ his over and has barely
feed enough with ordinary care to get
them thin in flesh to grass, having lost in
winter, is attended with more difficulty
in wintering, as they require more care
in every way; and such dwarfing not
unfrequently prevents largely the full
development of the animal.
And lastly, though not least, let me
call attention to the
KINDNESS NECESSARY
to success in the care of stock. That
man or boy is lovable who goes'into the
barnyard to fondle and caress each gentle unimal as they shall present themselves for their share of attention, calling them "pet names," stroking one
gently on the. head smoothing the coat
of another, and thus passing to the gate
or door, separates with a gentle voice
much his pecuniary interest was at stake
in the matter, it would, doubtless, lead
to a reformation of practice in the protection of stock. A brief investigation
of this subject may prove both interesting and useful to the readers of- the
Farmer, lt is a well known fact that all
of the higher orders of terrestal animals
have warm blood circulating through
tlieir systems. The temperature of animal bodies, in health, is generally about
100° Fah. This temperature is maintained, without any sensible variation,
throughout the year, without regard to
variations of temperature. in the weather. Now when two bodies of different
degrees of heat are placed in contact,
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weight two-fifths more than the exposed ones. We are led to the conclusion
that the deduction of science and the
experience of practical feeders agree in
teaching that a comfortable shelter for
stock will result in a great and profitable
saving of food, besides adding greatly to
the comfort of the stock.
This is the time for every one to try
the experiment for himself.
L. J. Templin.
For the Indiana Farmer.
NOTES ON LIVE STOCK.
•  A LANDSCAPE SCENE ON COW OEEEK,
In the Arkansas Valley, Kansas, near the eighty acres of land selected for the First Grand Premi«m of the Indiana Farmer.
weight through the winter one hundred
and twenty-five _ pounds, though commonly kept, so his cattle must be grazed
to first of October again, to make a fair
bullock and are consequently brought in
competition with cheap beef.
A. sells on the first of October at 4£
cents per pound, average weight 1300
pounds, $58 50 per head; aggregate for
20 head, $1,170.
B. sells on the 1st of Ootober 5 head of
his at 4 cents per pound, realizing $200.
The remaing 15 head he shelters and
feeds them one-fourth more feed per
head than A. fed his and feeds with care;
so that in the spring his' oome out full
flesh to grass, with a little increase in
weight and by the first of July are sold
for the best market at 5} cents per
pound, averaging 1300 pounds or $71.50
per head, aggregating $1,072.50. Now
add to this amount the $200 for which
the five head sold, and we have $1,-
272.50, a difference in favor of B.'s feed
of $102 50, to say nothing of the $20 interest that the $200 might have brought,
or the difference in grazing fifteen or
twenty head to July first and saving of
grass from July lst to October lst, in
favor of B.
But how many feeders we have like A.,
trying to compass too much, overstocking themselves and thousands even
worse; and how few like B. The first is
always crowded; the latter full handed.
The sharp husband-like habits will be
productive of many improvements as to
care, and development of the best and
most profitable kinds of stock. And
wherever he goes diffuses about him a
warmth of progression. The other is a
chromo grumbler.—There are certain
common sense rules in the profitable as
well as humane care of stock, necessary
to success, that we will only hint at.
Never overstock—better feed out waste-
fully to grasB than starve out.
NEVER BE CONTENT
to say to your hired help, "John go
gear the horses and haul out five shocks
of fodder to the cattle," for John may
haul out the five shocks and tumble it
off in a few large piles for the masterly
animals to run over and destroy—and
claim to have done as commanded.
While a careful William, or the owner,
may haul out and so evenly distribute
three shocks on dry ground that each
animal may eat in quiet all the feed
allotted to them, and in so doing, the
latter act well performed is worth much
more than the first at a saving of two-
fifths the feed.
Never send a boy to do what only a
man should' attempt to do, and then
scold him for doing what only thoughtful
men would be.likely to do.
COMMENCE TO  PEED EARLY
in this climate, before animals shrink
largely in flesh. The practice of allowing animals to run on shsrt grass
late in the fall and shrink so as to adapt
them to their circumstances, dwarfs the
organs of life.
The shrikage of stock in the fall to
shorten the time of feeding through the
assigning each its place, and feed, and
in the same way bidding them go forth,
into the sunshine of the day, or shelters
them from the storm by making provision for them ere the wintry blasts come.
In the light of humane treatment, how
inexcusable is that man or boy who
enters the feed lot with the noise of
battle, who give the first animals that
come within reach a kick, and hurls a
club or stone at the next, sending it away,
shivering with pain; at once all is excitement, running to and fro. If some
fail to come to their feed, through fear,
" let them starve," is the hasty reply.
Such "drive forth! their stock," and
" drive 'em up," and sit by their fires of
long winter evenings and hear (if they
have ears), the lowing and bleating of
their herds, driven to and fro before the
pitiless storm.
To such, may we not Bay, look about you?
How many loose boards, and to Spare,
there are, scattered about the premises,
if laid upon the fence in order, or nailed
to some posts, would shelter and protect
stock that otherwise would suffer, and
sometimes perish; and for all this care
there come fruits and profits an hundredfold. To the boy: if you would have a
noble manhood, welling up with noble
thoughts and deeds, be kind to animals.
"Call them pet names." Such deeds
will live to bless you.
To the man: if you would have a
sweet temper, a well filled purse and
prosperity attend to wintering well and
treat kindly the animals coming to your
care.
Forthe Indiana Farmer.
SHELTER FOR
STOCK.
The most of men seem to have a
kind of general notion that stock is benefited in some way by being sheltered
from the cold and storms of winter.
But, judging from their practice, many
seem to regard this benefit as of so little
importance as not to justify any outlay
of money or time to provide comfortable
winter quarters. They know it would
add some to the oqmforts of their animals, but this they regard as of no consequence. If this were all the good, resulting from good shelter for stock, it
should have great weight with every
man who has the quality of mercy in his
composition. Many centuries ago Solomon said: "The merciful man re-
gardeth the life of his beast," and One
greater than Solomon has said: '.Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain
mercy." It is certainly, a source of
comfort to any right minded man, when
enjoying the comforts of his fireside or
warmly wrapped up in bed, to remember
that his live stock are not exposed to the
pelting storm or shivering in the biting
blasts ofthe winter's night.
BUT THIS QUESTION
involves not only the oomfort of the animals, but also the profits of the owner.
If every man could be led to realize how
the warmer gives off heat to the colder
till an equilibrium is formed, that is, till
both arrive at  the sam«j temperature.
TRANSMISSION OF HEAT.
The rapidity of this transmission of heat
is in proportion to the difference of tem-
perasure between the two bodies and
their conducting or transmitting power.
In obedience to this law, when an animal body is placed in contact with a cold
atmosphere, it will lose a portion of its
heat; but as the air is capable of absorbing an unlimited amount of heat without
becoming warmed, it is evident that this
loss will go on continually without an
equilibrium ever being formed. And
as the heat of the animal body must
be kept up to a certain point, it is
evident that the supply of heat must
be renewed from some source as fast
as it is given off by radiation. What
is the source of this heat, and how
is a supply to be kept up? These are
questions of great practical interest
and well worthy of _ careful inquiry.
If we examine the air that is breathed by an animal, we will find that
before being taken into the lungs it contains about .04 per cent, of carbonic
acid gas—composed of oxygen and carbon—but when exhausted, or breathed
out, it contains 4 per cent, or 100 times
as much as before.
WHERE IT COMES PROM
Where does this increase of carbon
come from ? There is evidently but one
source, and that is the food that the animal eats. The oxygen of the air is
brought into contact with the carbon of
the blood in the lungs and in combining
with it produces an oxydation, or slow
combustion, or burning, analagous to the
burning of wood in a stove. By this
process heat is liberated, and being carried by the blood to all parts ofthe system the heat ofthe body is constantly renewed. Here we reach the source of animal heat and find it in the food that is
consumed. Now keeping in view the
facts above stated that the amount of
heat given off by the animal body is in
proportion to the degree of cold to which
it is exposed, and that this heat is furnished from the food consumed, it is easy
to see that the amount of food consumed by an animal will, other things being
equal, be in. exact proportion to the
degree of cold to which the animal is
exposed.
TnE.PROPORTION OF  FOOD
requiried for an exposed animal over one
that ~is sheltered, will be modified by a
great variety of circumstances. Experiments that have been tried with a view
of determining this question have show n
that even an open shed has made a difference of one-third in favor of the sheltered animals, and besides this saving of
food,   the sheltered ones   increased in
The farmers of Indiana are unquestionably giving more attention to stock
raising than at any period in the past
history of the State. Not only in improving their breeds, but the breeding
of thoroughbreds is rapidly on the increase among our people. In the improvement by crossing on thoroughbreds,
as well as in professional breeding of
pure blood animals. Pedigree is a matter
of much importance, and I OTist say, but
little understood  by  the  masses.   In
Eurchasing stock, most of our farmers
ave come to understand that it is important to get the animal's pedigree, but
would be satisfied with a certificate setting forth that the animal was sired by
Nero, out of dam by Cato—the sire and
dam both being as much unknown to the
purchaser, as the animal purchased.
PEDIGREE IS THE   FAMILY niSTORY
of the animal, and is valuable or not,
according to the merit of its representative family. Therefore, a pedigree to be
worth anything, must be understood.
If a stranger calls upon us, seeking employment, bearing with him letters of
recommendation, and the letters are
written by parties unknown to us, we
attach no importance to the letters, and
employ the man or reject him, just as
his own appearance and address strikes
us favorably or otherwise. If, however,
his letters of recommendation came
from parties known to us, parties we
know to be of good authority, and every
way reliable, then we attach even more
importance to the man's recommendations than to his own personal appearance and address. This rule will apply
with equal force to the pedigree or family history of an animal.
THE LAW IN BREEDING
is, that "like begets like "—modified by
the force of ancestral tendencies. The
pairing of two animals of the same conformation and color, would, in other
words produce their exact multiple, if
there were no conformation or color in
either of their near ancestors, in striking
contrast with them, and back to which,
their offspring might possibly go for its
conformation and color, and thus resemble not its parents, but some of the family
connection two or three generations
back.
In order, therefore, to breed animals
to obtain uniformity, it is necessary to
breed in a line, for certain characteristics, long enough to get beyond the possibility of undesirable parts in ancestry,
cropping out in offspring. Herein lies
the superior merit of thoroughbred
stock; it is bred in line, from the very
best of the breed, until there remains
behind no irregular defeotive ancestry to
endanger the offspring.
THE TRAITS OP ANCESTRY
may crop out for the fifth generation;
but often seven generations' remove from
undeniable shape and color, a fixed
character or type attach to the animal
so bred, and the animal may be regarded
as thoroughbred of its kind, and capable
of imparting its own characteristics with
almost unerring certainty. To know the
value ef a pedigree, therefore, it becomes
necessary to know something more, of the
ancestors in that pedigree than their
mere name. We must know whether, in
that ancestry there is any animal so deficient in its oharacter as to destroy the
value of the breeding of the animal
purchased, should its offspring revert
back to such deficient ancestor.
A COMMON ERROR.
Tho next error common to stockbreeders is to attach too much importance to herd book animals or animals
with recorded pedigrees, supposing that
all recorded pedigrees equally good. In
spite of all cure in breeding; in defiance
of science, there will in the most careful
breeding upon scientific principles occasionally crop out, among thoroughbreds,
animals almost worthless—these occurrences are quite rare, but the fact of
their existence renders all pedigrees the
subject of careful inquiry.
Summed up briefly, pedigree is the
family history or geneology of an animal,
and its being a recommendation or a
detriment to the animal, depends entirely
upon the respectability of its family for
from four to seven generations; to a
point beyond which the sins of the
parent are visited upon the offspring.
D. W. V.
Congress meets on Monday next, thc 6th.
State Treasurer Welsh, of Ohio, died on the
29th.
Thc property of Massachusetts is valued at
$1,840,788,000.
Montgomery county has seven prisoners in
her jail awaiting trial for larceny.
The new Court House of this county will
be ready for occupancy by July 4th.
The sum of $52,000 has been secured toward
founding a public library in Lafayette.
Vice-President 'Wilson's remains were interred at Natick, Massachusetts, on Tuesday
last.
Forty students of Princeton College have
been expelled for disobedience of the laws of
the institution.
And now the telegraph has reported little
Charley Ross to be in possession of a man at
Des Moines, Iowa.
An Evansville gentleman has just received
a letter which was written from Germany
some twenty-five years ago.
The signal officer on Mt. Washington, reported the velocity of the wind on the 29th
ult., to be 156 miles per hour.
The local papers of Jasper county report
that the corn crop yields from 75 to 80 bushels
per acre, and is of excellent quality.
Samuel Wood, of New York, proposes to
establish a musical institute, and endow it
with the princely sum »f $5,000,000.
Prof Shortridge, Superintendent of Purdue
University, has placed his resignation in tho
hands of the trustees of the institution.
The Republicans of this State have called
a State Convention for February 22d, and the
Democrats have called theirs for March.
Another arrest for complicity in the Evansville crooked whisky cases has been made—-
that of James K. Hill, Deputy Revenue Collector.
Articles of incorporation of thc Aurora,
Ind., Nail Works, have been filled with the
Secretary of State. The capitol stock is fixed
$1,0*0,000.
Eighty-seven per cent, of the predictions of
"Old Probabilities" were verified during the
last year. He is rapidly earning the title of
"Old Perfect.
An officer of the New York Custom House
has been found guilty of smuggling goods, and
was sentenced to two years imprisonment,
and fined $10,000.
The Auditor and Treasurer of the State of
West Virginia are to undergo trial on articles
of impeachment, for abusing tho powers of
their offices for individual gain.
Lawrence and Monroe counties are preparing to jointly hold a rousing temperance meeting at an early day to combat the granting of
liquor license and the traffic generally.
A Mr. Murray, editor of a South Bend paper, who was shot last week through one
lung, it is thought will recover. As Bessie
Turner would say, there was a woman in tho
case.
It is proposed to the managers of the Centennial, to make the exhibition free to ail as
the air we breathe; throw open the gates
and let tlie millions pass in without money
and without price.
A man by thc name of Brown, who was
killed at Piqua, Ohio, several days ago, and
buried at' Cambridge City, Ind., was disinterred the other day for the purpose of examining his clothing for money ho was known
to have had on his person while living. The
sum of $255.00 was found.
Great'activity is still manifested at the
Government Navy Yards. War vessels are
undergoing repairs, and being put in a seaworthy condition. The differences existing
between our government and Spain is the
cause of this unusual stir. However, tho
probability of trouble with Spain is very
slight.
 «    e»    »	
-ABOUT OUR AGENTS.
Work appears to have begun " all along the
line," and the numerous agents of Tun Farmer are already having good success, as each
mail gives abundant proof. Thc chances for
good premiums are nearly double what they
were last year, our list being nearly twice as
large.
■     e»     »
Let all remember that the " Holiday Gifts
to the Granges" are given extra, to such as
send in clubs, as announced in our supplement of November 13th, and tho same names
are also credited to the agents sending them,
on the 8pecial Premium List.
Brother Henry Spell, of Henry county,
Ind., wishes us to say that he proposes to
make the acquaintance of many of the piople
of that county in canvassing for the Indiana
Farmer, between now and the 31st of
March, 1876.
Mr. H. V. Brown writes us that we may
announce that he and Henry Byere, of Johnson county, will canvass actively this winter
for the Indiana Farmer. Brother Brown did
splendid work last season, carrying off a
handsome prize, aud wc have no doubt that
Brother Byers will also prove a good and
efficient worker.
Write Your Address.—A number of postal
cards have come to hand in the past week,
requesting outfits for agents, but giving no
post-office address whatever; therefore, we
cannot tell where to send them. Bc careful
to give your post-office address in every
instance.