ANIMAL PRODUCTION. 



281 



ingly small, and instead of the i-ihrcddiuLr jirocehK having incr('aHe<l the feeding value 

 it seems to have diminished it. . . . 



"Shredding fodder undoubtedl}' relieves the farmer of some \ery disagreeable 

 work in hauling the coarse stalks in bad weather, overcomes the necessity of digging 

 the material out of the snow in winter, and makes it possible to feed the material in 

 the barn and use the portion refused by the stock for bedding. The manure may be 

 h:indled much more conveniently, and in short the greatest drudgery of winter feed- 

 ing is removed. 



" On the other hand the farmer with the regular force he would probably keej* in 

 any case can handle the fodder crop without additional cost or outlay if it be fed 

 whole, whereas if it be shredded or siloed the work is concentrated into a few days 

 and much extra lalxjr must be hired for the purpose. This is the chief argument 

 against shredding, especially since the results of the experiments already (pioted fail 

 to show an increased feeding value due to the process. . . . 



"Unquestionably the siloing process increases the palatability of the material, 

 [and] greatly reduces the waste by inducing the stock to eat practically all nf the 

 stalk. Herein Hes the chief advantage of silage, for experiments have clearly shown 

 that the material is not more fully digested after it has l)een made into silage than 

 if well cured and fed dry. 



" Finally it seems safe t<;> say that corn fodder is too cheap in the ordinary year and 

 likely t<j be too cheap in the great corn belt for many years to come to warrant the 

 expenditure of much money in increasing its feeding value. The investment of this 

 extra money in cutting more fodder will likely pay better than putting it on the 

 amount that is now ordinarily cut." 



Steer feeding, H. T. French {Idaho Sta. Bui. 33, pp. 71-76). — To learn something 

 of the possibility of feeding steers economically in stalls, a test covering 56 days was 

 made with three lots of 2 animals each. During the first four weeks of the test, lots 

 1 and 2 were fed chopped wheat, and lot 3 wheat and bran, 2:1. During the follow- 

 ing two weeks all the lots were fed bran, chopped rye, and chopped wheat in differ- 

 ent proportions. During the last two weeks of the test lot 1 was fed barle_y and 

 shorts 1 :1; lot 2 barley and wheat 1:1; and lot 3 barley and shorts 1:1. In addition 

 to the grain, tlie steers were fed hay and silage. The average results of the test 

 follow. 



RenultH of nfeer feeding tei<t. 



According to the author there was on an average a net profit of $15.13 jjer steer. 

 " The barley shorts and the barley chopped wheat combinations constitute an excel- 

 lent grain ration for steers. The chopped rye was not especially well relished by the 

 steers. Choi)ped wheat ahjne is a good grain ration when combined with corn silage 

 and hay. The conditions in this locality, so far as affected by climate and food sui> 

 ply, are favorable for stall feeding cattle." 



Sheep-feeding- experiments, \V. J. Kennedy and F. R. Marshall {loiva Sta. 

 Bui. 63, pp. 178-1S5). — The possibility oL profitably fattening sheep under local condi- 

 tions was studied, two feeding tests beihg reported. The first had to do with the 

 problem of finishing Western lambs on gra,K' and grains for the early summer market 



