- STRAW 65 



{Salix caprea), elderberry, buckeye, mountain ash, alder, maple, more rarely that 

 of the mulberry, hazelnut, grape, birch, beech, black alder (Rhamnus frangula) and 

 elm. The foliage of poplars, willows and maples is the best. Young birch leaves 

 irritate the urinary tract. The leaves of the beech, oak, alder and hazel nut contain 

 much tannic acid and cause constipation if consumed in quantity. The foliage of 

 laburnum, wild cherry, black alder, yew, oleander, savin and boxwood is poisonous. 

 The bark of the common locust (Robinia pseudo-acacia) is toxic, but not the 

 stripped leaves. Leaf hay should be made in the months of July or August. When 

 dried in the sun it loses its aroma and palatability. It should therefore be dried in 

 the shade with the aid of the wind or air currents and protected as much as pos- 

 sible from rains. Small quantities exert a favorable dietetic affect. Leaf hay must 

 always be fed as a part ration and never without other forage. 



If harvested in a fresh condition, in July or August, leaf hay is easily digested 

 and of high value. Eighty pounds of leaf hay are equal in value to 100 pounds 

 of medium grade meadow hay, and is therefore superior in value. Its nutrient 

 value is greatest in May, then gradually diminishes, and in November it has lost 

 at least two-thirds of its original nutrients. It is of particular value for goats, as 

 well as for sheep, less so for cattle or horses. It is used for the latter in times 

 of famine or at other times as a dietetic feed in chronic diarrhea (foliage and finely 

 chopped bark of willows). 



Twig hay is also a substitute feed in times of famine or scarcity. The twigs of 

 poplars, Hnden, maple, less frequently those of the beech, are used for this purpose. 

 They are first crushed, then chaffed and ensilaged (p. 29) and fed to cattle. The 

 digestibility of the organic matter amounts to about 15 per cent. The nutritive 

 value corresponds to that of the straw of the cereals. Twig hay is dried in moder- 

 ately shady places and preserved tied up into bundles, exposed to the air. The 

 trimmings of grape vines are also used for food and have a value corresponding to 

 that of twig hay. 



Sawdust, wood shavings and ground peat are equally inferior in digestibility and 

 are used only in times of scarcity or famine, as filling mass. Wood shavings are 

 said to produce enteritis and colic, but the experience of the late war has shown 

 that apprehension in this respect was exaggerated. By steaming under the action of 

 acids and alkali solutions, wood products may be "converted" in the same manner 

 as straw (p. 31) and in this manner be made more digestible. 



Reeds should be cut in the early stages of growth, before the blossom spike makes 

 its appearance. As a substitute for hay they are usually fed green or dried, but 

 chaffed. If harvested in the fall or winter they are much less nutritious but may 

 still be of some value. 



The reindeer lichen (Cladonia silvatica) and Iceland moss {Cetraria islandica) 

 are useful substitute materials. Reindeer moss forms dense, light grayish green 

 masses on dry forest and heath soil. Iceland moss is brown or greenish brown on 

 one surface and greenish white or light brown on the other, naked, fringed at the 

 border and rimose at the base. After being gathered it is washed and dried. Mixed 

 with 1 per cent salt solution or molasses, animals usually eat it readily. Its actual 

 feeding value is low. 



Ferns (Asplenium, spleenwort), not the poisonous rock brake (Pteridium aquili- 

 num) are used in the dried state, in times of scarcity, as feed for horses and cattle. 

 The roots are fed to swine. 



Heather (Calluna vulgaris and Erica tetralis, European species related to the 

 American blueberry, huckleberry, cranberry and others, some of which are said to 

 be poisonous) is used as roughage and in the form of heather meal. The feeding 

 value of the roughage corresponds approximately to that of straw. That of the 

 meal is about midway between that of medium and low-grade meadow hay. 

 Heather is most advantageously harvested in May to June. The more woody parts 

 should be removed. 



2. Straw 



Stravi^ is the product of grasses (grains) and Leguminosae that have 

 been cut after maturing of the fruit or seed. 



Grain straw is one of the poorest in protein and richest in crude fiber 

 of feeding stuffs. The strav^ of the Leguminosae, however, is much 



