186 



TliK FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



STRAW AS AN ADJUNCT IN FEEDING STOCK. 



Sd-aw when used as food must be considered an im- 

 perfect food. It does not contain, within the quantity 

 ■which an animal can consume, enough nutriment to 

 promote growth — indeed scarcely enough to support 

 the animal from loss. It needs some addition to make it 

 a suitable food for stock; and thus, although a ton con- 

 tains £2 worth of nutritive matter, still we must com- 

 bine with it stronger food to make it of real value. 

 Fodder which is insufficient for its duty is a very ex- 

 pensive food when used alone ; for the material of the 

 animal has to make up the deficiency, which is a costly 

 substitute ; and when the loss is charged against the 

 food, it materially reduces its value. We must not 

 take a wrong impression, and consider straw to be 

 worth £2 per ton, however it may be employed. 

 When used as the only food for the animal's support, 

 it is attended by a loss which reduces its value to a 

 very small amount, and it no longer stands at its ori- 

 ginal value of £2 per ton. If straw were able to de- 

 velop its own powers so as always to produce £2 worth 

 of benefit, then we should be justified in taking it atsuch 

 an estimate; but so long as its action is incomplete, 

 and the deficiency has to be made up by some substi- 

 tute, the cost at ichich it is rendered complete must be 

 considered in its influence on the value of straw. Take 

 for example, food of similar bulky character, but of 

 higher nutritive power — such as good hay. Here we 

 have a body capable of doing its own work without 

 help, and therefore we never find it looked upon as 

 valueless for food ; but this is entirely to bo traced to 

 the fact that the animal feeding upon it can gain 

 enough, (under ordinary circumstances), to support the 

 body from loss, and often add to its weight. If we can 

 artificially bring straw to the same position, by an in- 

 crease of its nutritious properties, so that an animal 

 can consume enough for the purposes of life, then its 

 position is very different; but it is desirable to see by 

 what addition and at what cost we can add nutriment 

 to straw so as to raise its feeding powers to an econo- 

 mical degree. Hern we should find some organic 

 analyses of different kinds of hay very useful, but we 

 have only scattered information as to its composition. 

 A valuable series of organic analyses upon Natural and 

 Artificial Grasses has been carried out by Prof. Way, 

 and published by the Journal of the Royal Agricul- 

 tural Society, vol. xiv. ; but we very much want a 

 corresponding series upon hay. From the best infor- 

 mation we now possess, we may consider that good 

 average quality bay would contain — 



8.5 per cent, of protein or albuminous compounds. 

 3. „ oil. 



20. „ dextrin and starch. 



Superior samples would probably range higher than 

 this; whilst inferior quality would correspond with 

 straw, and in some cases be of inferior composition. 

 Mr. Horsfall has employed a compound for cows la 



which straw forms a prominent constituent. The daily 

 allowance for each cow is — 



20 lbs. straw chaff. 



o „ hay. 



5 „ rape cake. 



2 „ bean meal. 



OJ „ bran. 



3J „ malt- combs. 

 35 „ mangel-wurzel. 

 This has succeeded very well indeed, and it is as good 

 an instance as any to examine further. Let us take 

 the materials mixed with lOOlbs. of straw : 



Thus, by adding the bran, malt dust, and bean meal 

 to lOOlbs. of straw, v;e have its nutritive value in- 

 creased equal to 751bs. of hay. But Mr. Horsfall also 

 allows 401bs. of hay, 251b3. of cake, and 1251bs. of 

 mangold-wurzel. We may therefore consider that 

 equal nutritive matter wjuld be given to each cow 

 in five days by either of the following allowances of 

 food : 



lbs. 



100 straw 

 4 bran 



4 malt-combs 

 10 bean meal 

 40 hay 

 25 cake 

 125 mangold-wurzel 



Iba 



75 hay. 



40 hay. 

 25 cake. 

 125 mangold-wurzel. 



Either of these would be productive of rich milk and 

 an increase of flesh. The cost at which this increase 

 of nutriment (which rendered lOOlbs. of straw equal to 

 751bs. of hay) has been attained, is about 15d. : 



s. d. 

 The value of 751bs. of hay at £4 per ton . . 2 8 

 Deduct cost of materials added to straw . . 1 3 



It leaves 1 5 

 As the original value of lOOlbs. of straw, 

 or about SOs. per ton. 



It appears from this that, if straw is to be enriched 

 by this process so as to be made equal to hay, the cost 

 is so great that it reduces the original value of straw 

 to about 303., as compared loitli good hay at £4 per 

 ton. This confirms the prevailing opinion that the two 

 stand in this I'elation ; and their usual sale prices are 

 about in this proportion. So long therefore as good 

 hay can be had at ,£'4 per ton, straw cannot stand 

 above SOs. in comparative value with it, because the 

 cost of raising the straw to the quality of hay equals 

 the difference between these prices. This gives another 



