138 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



must have been taken from the liquids and soft parts of the body, 

 thus giving rise to an abnormal condition from which death resulted. 

 When fodder is rich in phosphoric acid, lime ma}' be added in the 

 shape of pulverized chalk. 



Effect of Steaming, Fermenting, etc.. Fodder. 



The cooking or steaming of food is greath' recommended b}' some 

 as increasing its nutritive effect, in other words, increasing its digest- 

 bility. It is stated by an author that cows fed with cooked or 

 steamed potatoes gave a milk richer in butter than cows fed with 

 raw potatoes, though the quantit}- of milk was less. Experiments 

 on this subject have given conflicting results, and it would seem 

 that the good effect of steamed food be ascribed to its better flavor 

 rather than to an}' change which has taken place in its digestibility. 

 The same ma}' be said of fermentation. The question seems at 

 present to be somewhat an open one, though there may be reasons 

 why steaming or fermenting food could at times be economically 

 resorted to. 



At the State College farm, pigs fed with uncooked corn meal 

 fatted more rapidly than did pigs fed with cooked meal. The ques- 

 tion is a rather difficult one to decide, as the taste of fodder uu- 

 doubtedlv has a great influence upon its effect in the feeding of 

 cattle. The mechanical division of fodder is of importance in in- 

 suring its most complete utilization by animals, this being especially 

 true for the monogastric animals. 



The chopping of hay and straw permits their being intimately 

 mixed with other fodder materials in the making up of a composite 

 ration. The slicing of roots is beneficial, as is the ci-acking of 

 grain. 



Notes upon different Fodders. 



Meadoio Hay — Aftermath. Hay rich in albuminoids, generally 

 contains less crude woody fibre than does hay poorer in albuminoids. 

 The quantity of extractive carbohydrates remains about the same 

 while the ash and fatty substance is often found in larger quantity 

 in good than in poor hay. 



It is well known that an increased quantity of albuminoids gives 

 an increased digestibility of the same as well as a greater digesti- 

 bility of the extractive carbohydrates. The digestibility of the 

 albuminoids may vary in hay from 39 to 70 per cent., according to 

 quality of the fodder. 



