ECONOMICAL STOCK FEEDING. g5 



nips to COWS for milk, wliicli, of course, is not urulor discussion 

 now. It never can bo lost sight of in practice, however. 



QuKSTiox. If you were obliged to take cows from the pasture 

 and feed thein on dry feed wouldn't turnips and beets then be more 

 valuable ? 



Sec. GiLHEHT. That question, of course, comes from the suppo- 

 sition that under those circumstances these watery foods are more 

 valuable^ from the nutrition being diluted with water. I find myself 

 somewhat in opposition to the prevailing sentiment upon this point. 

 If I am wrong I am open to conviction at any time ; but I claim 

 that the water existing in a food and forming part of it, is of no 

 more valiu' to an animal than so many pounds of water, at the same 

 temperature, taken from the pump. I know you don't all agree 

 with me, but you can take it for what it is worth, and I only" ask that 

 you examine it with your practice critically, study it from every 

 standpoint, theoretical, scientific and practical, and see if you do not 

 arrive at the same conclusion. Roots have a feeding value, but 

 onh- for the nutrition that is in them. We need not give value to 

 the water that is in them. You can't get nutrition to any great 

 extent out of water. 



Question. What is the difference between hay and grass then? 



Sec. Gilbert. One has parted with part of its water, and no 

 other earthly difference. 



Question. But a cow will give more milk on grass than hay, 

 will she not? 



Sec. Gilbert. She will give more in measure ; but are you at 

 all sure that eating the same quantity of nutritive material she will 

 give more butter or cheese ? 



There we are shaping our own opinions from public opinion round 

 about us, and in it are some errors. It is our duty to get at all the 

 facts, and when we do that we shall lay by some of our opinions. 

 From a practical standpoint, from actual experience, if I were feed- 

 ing cows to make butter or cheese, and had my second crop grass 

 to feed from, I should dry out half of its water, and I feel sure I 

 should get better results than I could with the water all in. 



Question. Were we not told this forenoon by one of the speak- 

 ers that he got milk from grass at one cent per quart, but from dry 

 hay it cost him three cents ? 



Sec. Gilbert. That was doubtless a correct statement, and it is 

 due to two causes. One is, that grass pasturage among us here 



