HAY 57 



animals. Since fungi spoil easily, care should be exercised to avoid feeding decom- 

 posed material. 



When fed to swine, cattle or poultry, fungi should be chopped up, cooked and 

 mixed with bran. They may also be dried, crushed, and fed mixed with crushed 

 potatoes. 



In some sections of Germany the flocks of sheep are driven to the pine forests 

 every fall and "masted" on the fungi which grow there in abundance. No cases of 

 poisoning have ever been reported as resulting from this practice. 



According to Dittrich, the polato puflfball (Scleroderma vulgare) is a good feed 

 for cattle and swine, and the false truffle for goats. The "fly toadstool" (Agaricus 

 muscarius), reputed as poisonous, is said to be greedily eaten by sheep, without 

 harmful results. The term "cow toadstool," common in Germany, is said to be 

 derived from the general inclination of cattle to feed upon several different species 

 of these fungi. Dittrich recommends Paxillus, Lactaria (milk fungi), Russula, 

 Clitocybc (funnel fungi), the medium-sized species of Tricholoma (excepting the 

 nauseous smelling T. sulfurcvm) , the large scaly Lepiota, all of the species of 

 Boletus except those suitable for human consumption (yellow boletus or B. edulis) 

 or those that may be too tough or woody (Polyporus — the corky, shell-like out- 

 growths on trees and decaying logs), the Clavaria, puffballs, spiny fungus, etc. 

 Toadstool fungi are also suitable food for fishes. Even the toxic species, according 

 to Knauthe, may be fed to them without danger. 



Certain fungi that are toxic for man may, according to Dittrich, be fed to advan- 

 tage to animals, e.g., the reddish brown milk toadstool (Lactaritis rtifus), L. tormi- 

 nosus, Russula emetica, and even the devil toadstool (Bolerus satanas), Hypho- 

 loiiia fasciculare alone of this group, on account of its bitter taste, is not a suitable 

 animal feeding stuff. 



II. Roughage 



The term "roughage" inckides hay, straw and chafif'. 



I. Hay 



Hay consists of grasses or Legtiminosse, cut and dried in the young, 

 succulent stage, before or during bloom. After blossom these plants rap- 

 idly become woody, less digestible and less nutritious. It is therefore 

 important to observe the proper time for harvesting. "Overripe" hay is 

 of inferior value. In regard to hay making see pages 19 and 23. 



Compared with green feed (soiling), hay has less nutrient value 

 (owing to increased effort necessary in mastication and digestion) and 

 exercises a less favorable dietetic action, even though, for herbivora, in 

 itself, it is easily digestible, wholesome and stimulating to the digestive 

 processes. It is, in fact, an indispensable part of the ration for herbi- 

 vora when the latter receive slops, pulps and root crops. According to 

 the variety of plant converted into hay, we distinguish, grass hay, clover 

 hay, leguminous hay, leaf hay, twig hay, etc. 



a. Meadow Hay and Aftermath Hay 



As a rule meadow hay and aftermath hay are regarded as equal in 

 value. The second-crop hay (aftermath) is somewhat richer in albumen 



Tin America, according to Henry and Morrison, the term also includes corn fodder and 

 silage. Low grade milling by-products, such as oat hulls, ground corn cobs and peanut hulls, 

 are also roughages, rather than concentrates, for thev are largely fiber and furnish little 

 nutfiment. Roots are watery and bulky and contain relatively little nutriment per pound, 

 yet based on the composition of the dry substance they are more like concentrates than rough- 

 ages, as they are low in fiber. They are really watery or diluted concentrates, though for 

 convenience they are included under fresh green roughages in appendix Table I., Henry and 

 Morrison, Feeds and Feeding, 16th ed., 1916, p. 10, 



