CUTTING AND COOKING FOOD. 357 



and in this country stock feeders are just beginning to turn their 

 attention to the subject. 



AMOUNT OF STRAW AND COARSE FODDER WASTED. 



"If we take the amount of grain and Indian corn raised in 

 the United States, as by the census of 1860, we shall find, by 

 allowing forty bushels of grain to the ton of straw or corn fodder, 

 that there were about 30,000,000 of tons. Now, at least one- 

 third of this is wasted, for every purpose except manure, and 

 vast quantities not even used for that. Suppose we estimate this 

 at one-half the value put upon it by Mr. Mechi, or five dollars per 

 ton, and we have the enormous sum of $50,000,000 wasted, for 

 want of proper economy, in a single year. "We believe this 

 estimate much below the real loss." 



To this valuable essay of Mr. Stewart, we add a most oppor 

 tune communication, from a thoroughly practical proprietor of a 

 sale milk dairy, taken from a late number of "The Country 

 Gentleman," published at Albany, N. Y. The article is from 

 Mr. Wm. Birnie, of Springfield, Mass. 



"I have practiced steaming feed for my stock since 1858, with 

 constantly increasing confidence in its economy. In the autumn 

 of that year I found myself with a stock of twenty head of cat- 

 tle to carry through the winter with the forage provided for six, 

 and was consequently forced to cast about for the most econom- 

 ical method of solving that seemingly impracticable problem. I 

 immediately set about preparing to cut and steam the fodder. 



"My barn is built on a side-hill, and is three stories in part, 

 the principal story on which the barn floor is situated being level 

 with the ground on the highest side, and used entirely for the 

 storage of hay, grain, &c. The next story below opens on to 

 the barnyard, and is used for stabling and a root cellar, being 

 under ground at one end. Under a portion of this story is a 



