Comparative Value of different Kinds of Fodder. 81 



All beasts are fond of the green stems of the Indian corn or 

 maize; but it has not yet been much cultivated in Britain. If 

 sown in May, so as to be free from frost, after the seeds have 

 been well soaked in water, the crop will come up well, and be 

 ready to cut green in September and October, without ever pro- 

 ducing any seed ; but v/ithin the stalk will be found the embryo of 

 the seed ear, which is extremely svv^eet and pleasant to the taste. 

 It is very good boiled as greens. Green spurrey gives excellent 

 milk and butter when the cows are fed on it. There is a variety 

 which is much larger than the common field-spurrey, and which 

 is worth attention. 



The stems of Jerusalem artichokes when young may be good 

 fodder, but they soon get hard and woody. The leaves of the 

 cow-cabbage, when given quite fresh, and none of them v/ithered 

 or decayed, are excellent for cows, and give no taste to the butter. 

 Straw is, on the whole, but poor food, and unless cattle have 

 something better with it, they will not keep in any condition ; 

 when given with turnips or other roots, straw corrects their watery 

 nature, and is very useful ; cut into chaff it is very good for sheep 

 when fed on turnips and oil-cake, and when newly thrashed is as 

 good nearly as hay. By a j udicious mixture of different kinds of 

 food, a more economical mode of feeding may be substituted for 

 a more expensive one, and the same result obtained. The value 

 of straw depends much on the soil : a very clean crop will not 

 give so nourishing straw as one containing many succulent weeds. 

 Peas and vetch halm are superior to straw, especially when cut 

 into chaff: it is by some thought equal to hay. The same may 

 be said of bean halm not left too long in the field, and cut before 

 it is completely dry. Buckwheat halm is of little value : it is 

 thought unwholesome if given to sheep. 



The dried stems of the Jerusalem artichoke must be cut into 

 chaff, and then boiled or macerated in water, otherwise the cattle 

 cannot chew them. I'he same may be said of the stems of millet, 

 sorgho, and maize. Raw potatoes increase the milk of cows, but 

 they must be given \^ith caution, and only a few at first, till the 

 stomach is accustomed to them; boiled, they fatten every kind of 

 stock ; mixed with cut chaff, they are excellent for horses : 14 lbs. 

 of boiled potatoes will allow a diminution of 8 lbs. of hay; hence 

 their value in this w^ay is easily calculated. When hay is 4.1. 4-y. 

 a load, it is just \d. per lb. ; the 14 lbs. of boiled potatoes are 

 therefore worth 4d. And 56 lbs. being reduced by bailing to 

 42 lbs., the potatoes are equal in value to '2y. per cwt,, which is 

 405. per ton. From this must be deducted the expense of 

 boiling; where fuel is cheap, this will be compensated by the dung, 

 which would have been lost had the potatoes been sold. If 

 14 lbs. of boiled potatoes are equal to 16 lbs, raw, raw potatoes 



VOL. III. G 



