LATEST RESULTS IN PRESERVING AND FEEDING. 125 



THEREFORE there is nothing in it worthy of notice. We 

 have been trying this 30 years to effect something by 

 preaching * deep ploughing,' underdraining, beet-sugar, 

 and many other things " (all of which have fallen still- 

 born upon the general agricultural mind), "and the 

 only monuments we have to point to thus far, are the 

 1 beat ' sugar companies." 



To the first criticism people say, " If this is so, why 

 have you hidden your light under a bushel all these 

 years, while we were groping in the darkness ? " 



To the second criticism, I will only ask my scientific 

 friend if he has ever thought of the difference between 

 leavened and unleavened bread, and if the leavening 

 does not add to its food value, whether it increases its 

 intrinsic food elements, or not ? 



In reply to the third, I will take the liberty of quoting 

 Professor Knapp of the Iowa State Agricultural College, 

 in a recent article : 



" In this climate the forage-plants of most luxuriant growth are coarse 

 and succulent, not easily cured, and when dry contain much woody 

 fibre. In their green state they are an excellent food for stock, with little 

 waste ; in their dry state a considerable proportion is indigestible, which, 

 with the parts animals reject, constitutes about 40 per cent of the whole. 

 The proportion of innutritious parts depends much upon the kind, 

 coarseness, time of cutting, manner of curing, storing, &c. ; but it is 

 safe to place the range at from 15 to 50 per cent. To this should be 

 added liability to damage by wet weather, owing to the long time 

 required to cure such crops in the field. I emphasize the forage-crops, 

 because in my judgment the future progressive agriculture largely 

 depends upon the utilization of them. A ton of green-corn fodder can 

 be grown ready for cutting for ten cents, not including interest on land, 

 On rich land it can be grown for six cents per ton. This includes ear 

 and stalk as it stands in the field ready for the cutter. The experiment 

 by Wolff has shown, that, when cut green early in August, the amount of 

 crude fibre is less than five per cent. Could it be cut fine, and pre- 

 served in this condition, the practical saving of material would be over 

 30 per cent, not estimating for damage in curing by reason of storms. 



