384 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



The rule tlieu is to buy that fodder which furnishes the desired 

 feeding value at the least cost, but if prices are nearly the same, 

 choose the one which will at the same time give the largest amount 

 of plant food. Also when prices are approximately the same, select 

 that grain which containsi the largest amount of protein, since this is 

 the part of the food which is usually most lacking in the fodder grown 

 on the farm. 



In conclusion, I desire to call attention to two facts. The first is 

 that a fodder largely composed of fiber has little place in the ration 

 of a first class milch cow'. A fodder may be so full of fibre as to be 

 not only worthless, but a positive detriment. Newspaper is almost 

 I»ure fiber and none would think of feeding that to a cow. Eye straw 

 is not much better. Even oat straw which is so much fed, is a detri- 

 ment rather than a benefit. The second table given shows that of 

 each 100 pounds of oat straw there is left but the value of 10.2 pounds 

 after taking out for what takes place before digestion. If from this 

 is subtracted the energy required to digest the food and carry it 

 through the system and the corresponding share of the work of keep- 

 ing the body alive, there is no net food value. Since the good milch 

 cow needs all her energies to digest real food, it follows then that 

 feeding her on straw would be a disadvantage for the double reason 

 that it contains no net nourishment in itself, and fills up the paunch, 

 thus occupying space that is needed for handling more concentrated 

 fodder. 



Lastly, it is well to bear in mind that drying a fodder decreases its 

 food value, because it increases the amount of energy required to 

 masticate it. Hence the more succulent the food the higher its value 

 per pound of digestible material. This is one of the strong argu- 

 ments in favor of silage. The relation is about 47 to 72, that is, if 

 when a fodder is green it requires 47 units of energy to masticate it, 

 then after it is dried, it will require 72 units of energy. 



PKEPARATION OF THE SEED BED. 



BY DR. I. A. THAYER, New Castle, Pa. 



To understand the importance and the methods of its preparation, 

 one must thoroughly comprehend the purposes of the seed bed. 

 Hence we first study these purposes: 



1. The first purpose in such preparation is the destruction of 

 weeds and their removal beyond the reach of tillage implements. 

 (By "weeds" we mean any plants not wanted in the bed.) Should 



