The Question Box. 51 



Mr. Van Wagenen. — We cannot tell what given foods to 

 recommend until we know the nature and value of the coarse 

 foods. We ought to make our food list as variable as possible. 

 'None of us would care to live on meat or bread or pie alone. 

 Give the cow as varied a ration as possible. I think wheat bran 

 is the best protein ration. A cow may go to a bin of bran and 

 eat as much as she likes and not have it injure her. I think a 

 combination of the two would, under ordinary circumstances, be 

 preferable. If clover hay is fed, less of the combination should 

 be fed than when timothy hay or silage is used. 



Question. — JSTame a ration for cows. I have timothy and 

 early cut oat straw. What else do I need? 



Mr. Smith. — It will all depend on the cost of foods. If oats are 

 high enough in price I should sell them and use the money to 

 buy wheat bran or gluten. If those foods cost more than the 

 oats would sell for, I should feed the oats. But one must always 

 take into consideration the protein value of those foods and be 

 governed accordingly. One should also take into consideration 

 the amount of energy required to digest a food. It has been 

 found that a cow was better off without oat straw than with it, 

 and yet I am not saying that good oat straw is not beneficial 

 when properly fed; that is, balanced with good protein foods. 

 Question.— Would you sow rape seed among the corn rows? 

 Mr. Van Wagenen. — If the corn makes a large growth it will 

 require too much moisture, so that the rape does not get enough. 

 Sometimes it will make a good growth after the corn has been 

 taken off. I think, as a rule, the sowing of rape or clover in the 

 corn has not proved a success. It is pretty hard to get two different 

 crops off the same piece of land at the same time. When we get 

 a growing fall, some benefit may be derived from the sowing of 

 such crops among the corn rows, but it will all come after the corn 

 has been taken off. 



Question. — • Are ground beans a good food for dairy cows? 

 Mr. Smith. — Beans are rich in protein, containing nearly 25 

 per cent, of it. 



Mr. Smallwood. — Would it not be better to sell the beans for 

 $2 per bushel and buy something else? 



Mr. Smith. — As a rule, only split beans are fed to cattle. 

 Question. — Is corn meal and wheat bran a good food for 

 horses or cows? Does it make a good ration? 



Mr. Smith. — Yes; if properly combined with something else. 

 If you are feeding clover hay, it will make a balanced ration; if 



