THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



187 



illustration of a fact wbich has been already more fully 

 shown — that the average sale price of different kinds 

 of food approximates very closely to their relative 

 feeding value. 



It may be very reasonably inquired, how it is that 

 straw now appears wortli only 30s., whereas it was be- 

 fore shown to contain food worth 40s. per ton. 

 This requires us to state that the 30s. only shows the 

 relative value as compared with hay at— \ct us still 

 assume— /owr pounds ; but the fact is, good hay 

 contains matter worthmore thani^4 per ton ; although) 

 as it forms one of the standard supplies of food 

 (and is not a supplemental), it has to bear the loss 

 which is occasioned in the support of life. It may be 

 desii'able to i-epeat here, that a distinction must be 

 drawn between the main supply of food which the 

 animal receives, and that which is simply a supple- 

 mental food. 



Suppose, for instance, an animal to be fed entirely 

 upon hay : a certain proportion of this goes to support 

 the body in health, and the residue is added to its 

 weight ; but if we supplement this main supply of food 

 by an allowance of corn or cake, the latter has no loss 

 to bear — the tax has been paid by the hay ; conse- 

 quently the whole of the supplemental supply is 

 available to the animal for growth, but only a portion 

 of the hay. This affects the accepted value of every 

 food which forms the standard supply of nourishment ; 

 and for this reason grass, fodder, roots, or hay are not 

 of a productive value equal to the nutriment they 

 contain ; but cake and corn have not this loss to de- 

 tract from their value, unless they are used with food 

 such as straw, which, being incompetent to support the 

 animal, needs their assistance. The same circumstances 

 which affect the value of grass, fodder, roots, and hay, 

 and cause them to be erroneously estimated at a less 



value than the nutriment they contain would lead us to 

 expect, equally influence the value of straw as food. 

 If it is therefore no contradiction to say, that al- 

 though superior quality straw contains 40s. worth of 

 nutriment per ton, that its practical value is seldom 

 equal to this. So far as the feeder is concerned, 

 it is to a certain extent immaterial whether he allows 

 the straw or any other food to pay this tax, for it must 

 be discharged before any other duty is performed ; and 

 if there is not matter in the food to do it, the body (so 

 long as it is able) surrenders the residue. But, when 

 once this demand has been met, the food remaining is 

 free lor other purposes. 



Notwithstanding the foregoing conclusion, straw still 

 has a certain value, and this may be taken advantage 

 of. The consumption of a given quantity of artificial 

 food being decided upon — it may be, for adding to the 

 fertility of the land, or for keeping a larger quantity of 

 live stock, in consequence of a deficient supply of roots, 

 or for any other purpose — it is important to consume 

 it as economically as possible. This will be favoured 

 by employing a bulky food in conjunction with it; and 

 the question arises, What food is most suitable for ibis 

 purpose ? Hay is preferable to straw, and more econo- 

 mical ; but in the absence of hay, or an insufficient supply 

 ofit, straw may be the«2i6s^i^M<c/ori#, wholly or in part. 

 In such a case, the artificial food will be benefited by 

 the bulky character of the straw, and also by the 40s. 

 worth of nutriment it contains. Bulk might be given 

 to the artificial food by a body destitute of nutriment, 

 and it would thereby be assisted in its assimilation by the 

 animal. When straw, however, not only supplies bulk 

 but also nutriment, its value is increased accordingly. 

 Hence, ii artificial food has to he consumed, the straw 

 judiciously used in combination with it must be valued 

 at its full amount of 40s. per ton. 



A REMEDY FOR THE POTATO DISEASE. 



The following letter to the editor of a Bristol paper is 

 worthy of notice : 



" I beg to draw the attention of the public to one of the 

 most eflectual remedies for the preservation of tlie potato 

 from the annual visitation of the disease. In all affected 

 potatoes, even before the disease is visible to the naked 

 eye, there is to be fomid a degree of moisture very far in 

 excess of that to be met with in sound potatoes; and this 

 watery principle gradually increases until the disease 

 itself makes its appearance, when the character of the po- 

 tato is changed; and the transition from comparative 

 soundness to complete rottenness is sometimes the work 

 of a day, but oftener the doings of an hour. Cultivators 

 are indebted to Professor Bollman, of St. Petersburg, for 

 the accidental ''iscoveiT' of a remedy, which has been 

 found to answer so well in Eussia, that on many estates 

 drying houses have been built for the purpose of carrying 

 out the experiment; and as it has been in operation in 

 that eounti-y since 1853; it has, consequently, undergone 

 seven years' trial. In the autumn of 1855, Professor 

 Bollman received from a friend — a colonel in the Pwus- 

 sian army, sta,tioned in Siberia — a sample of a new potato, 



with which lie received two recommendations — namely, 

 good in quality, and a perfect hundredfold in produce. 

 These potatoes were accidentally placed on the back of a 

 stove used for heating the Professor's study, where, by 

 some mischance, they were forgotten till the planting 

 season arrived. When discovered, they were sluivelled so 

 much, that fears were entertained they would not grow at 

 all. However, the potatoes were planted, and flourished 

 to such a degree, that the two recommendations before 

 mentioned were pronounced to be verified ; and what was 

 more remarkable still, although all the potatoes in the 

 neighbourhood, and throughout the country, were more or 

 less affected by disease, every potato of the new kind was 

 entirely free from the disorder. This induced the Pro- 

 fessor to adopt the expedient of dijing; and, in conse- 

 quence, the entu'e produce was submitted (after being 

 dug) 'to a high temperature, which had the effect of 

 chari-ing some of the potatoes, and shrivelling the rest. 

 It was sui-mised, at the time, that some of the charred po- 

 tatoes were killed. They were, nevertheless, planted at 

 the proper season ; and the charred potatoes grew, and did 

 quite as well as those potatoes vfhich were merely shri- 



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