124 



THE IRRIGATION AGE 



edy is spraying with winter strength of 

 Bordeaux mixture when the buds begin to 

 swell. 



A government report states that the 

 horses of our cavalry and artillery branches 

 of the army in the Philippines would not 

 feed on their hay rations, and become very 

 weak. They were given one part of cheap 

 brown sugar or molasses to every eight 

 parts of hay, and soon recovered. 



Dr. Harvey W. Wiley, the chief chem- 

 ist of the department of agriculture, is 

 preparing a report covering the work done 

 by his office during the year and outlining 

 the work for 1901. 



"The utilization of the stalks of Indian 

 corn is one of the subjects," said Dr. 

 Wiley, "to which we have given some at- 

 tention. The subject affords more field 

 for study and has more possibilities than 

 might at first be supposed: 



"The possibility of utilizing the stalks 

 of Indian corn as a cattle food has long 

 occupied the attention of our agricultural 

 chemists. A large amount of experimen- 

 tal and analytical work has been done in 

 this direction by the experiment stations, 

 notably by those of Maryland and Penn- 

 sylvania. Our work has been directed 

 chiefly to the study of the rations com- 

 posed of the fine ground stalks of maize 

 mixed with blood, molasses, ground bone, 

 Indian corn meal, other cereal products, 

 and various other ingredients. 



"The previous grinding of the stalk is a 

 primary necessity, since otherwise it can 

 not be properly masticated. When con- 

 venient, it is also advisable to remove the 

 pith, which can be used to better advan- 

 tage for other industrial applications. 



"The ground stalk has a nutritive value 

 equal to that of coarse hay and absorbent 

 power for blood, molasses and other 

 liquids which makes it an ideal vehicle for 

 offering these bodies in an appropriate 

 form for consumption to domesticated 

 animals. The value of both blood and 

 molasses as cattle foods has long been es- 



tablished, but until the employment of 

 fine ground Indian corn stalks as an ab- 

 sorbent was proposed no entirely satifac- 

 tory method of utilizing these products 

 was known. 



"During the past year many different 

 corn stalk rations have been mixed and 

 subjected to analytical study, with the 

 result of showing both high nutritive 

 properties and so adaptability to particular 

 purposes. This mayjbe illustrated by cit- 

 ing some of the particular rations which 

 have been prepared, viz., the rations for 

 the maintenance of horses and cattle not 

 being fattened; rations for animals at hard 

 work; rations for fattening animals; ra- 

 tions for poultry, both for egg production 

 and for preparing poultry for market. 

 Various forms of rations for each particu- 

 lar purpose were prepared with the object 

 of securing the best balanced and also the 

 most economic product. 



"Our experiments demonstrated beyond 

 a doubt that fiue ground maize stalks are 

 by far the best material known for utiliz- 

 ing blood and molasses as animal foods. 

 Although cattle foods are now very cheap 

 and abundant in our country, it is some- 

 what interesting to know that in the al- 

 most inexhaustible quantity of this ma- 

 terial we have a resource for the future 

 which will supply every demand. In this 

 material also we find a means of utilizing 

 in the most economical way the waste pro- 

 ducts of the slaughterhouses, of our beet 

 sugar factories, and of the cane sugar fac- 

 tories of Louisiana, of the Hawaiian 

 Islands, and of our tropical dependencies. 



"Another subject which may be con- 

 sidered of general interest is the chemical 

 examination which the department is 

 making of foreign food products. We 

 wish to keep a high reputation for Ameri- 

 can exports and we desire to send abroad 

 only those food products which are whole- 

 some and free from adulteration. In like 

 manner we ask that similar products sent 

 to us from foreign countries be true to 



