I. AGRECULTURE AND RURAL ECONOMY. 3^7 



sumed for albuminoids, carbo-hydrates, and fats. Taking rye 

 as the standard, and calculating what number of pounds 

 would contain one dollar's worth of these ingredients, the 

 same number of pounds of European bran would be valued 

 at 87 cents, St. Louis " shipstuff " at 88 cents, and corn meal at 

 94 cents. The middlings and shipstuff contain less of albu- 

 minoids and fats, and more of carbo-hydrates than the shorts 

 or bran, but must be a trifle more digestible. The estimated 

 value would not differ greatly from that of the bran or shorts. 

 " It is worth noting," Professor Storer remarks, " that the ash 

 of bran (or shorts) contains an unusually large percentage of 

 phosphates (over fifty per cent, of this ash is phosphoric acid, 

 calculated as if it were free and uncombined), and that every 

 ton of shorts or middlings contains from thirty to fifty pounds 

 of ash. All the varieties of bran are consequently well fitted 

 to supply the phosphates needed by milch cows and growing 

 animals ; and the manure from animals fed with bran will, of 

 course, be especially rich in phosphates. Bulletin Bussey In- 

 stitution^ I., 39-185. 



SALT-MARSH AND BOG IIAY : THE FEEDING VALUE. 



Professor Storer has examined a number of coarse hays, 

 including particularly several specimens of bog and salt- 

 marsh hay, such as are commonly used for fodder and ma- 

 nure in New England. As regards chemical composition, 

 these stand midway between ordinary upland hay and straw 

 of the cereals. That is to say, straw contains in general less 

 of albuminoids and fats, but more crude fibre (cellulose) than 

 good hay. These coarse hays have less of albuminoids and 

 fats than the hay and more than the straw, so likewise they 

 contain more crude fibre than the hay and less than the 

 straw. The practical bearing of these facts is very impor- 

 tant. One great defect of our ordinary forage materials is a 

 lack of albuminoids (nitrogenous material). Late investiga- 

 tions at the European experiment stations have shown that 

 the functions of nitrogen in nutrition are more important than 

 was formerly supposed, and that only the best qualities of 

 hay contain as large a proportion of these as is required by 

 milch cows, and for working and fatting animals for the high- 

 est production. The poorer qualities of hay, however, fur- 

 nish a good deal of digestible and nutritious material, but are 



