RELATION OF FOOD TO MANURE 315 



From actual feeding tests it has been shown that 

 a ton of alfalfa or of cowpea hay is almost equal in 

 feeding value to a ton of wheat bran. This is not 

 only evident from the digestible composition of 

 these feeds, but from feeding tests. If therefore, 

 when put to the test a ton of alfalfa proves far in- 

 ferior to wheat bran, or if when this alfalfa is fed 

 to bee^or dairy cattle the full fertilizing value is not 

 secured ; or if gluten, cottonseed meal, or other con- 

 centrates, when fed, do not fetch the results in the 

 field when the resulting manure is applied, it should 

 not be concluded that the practical side of the feed 

 and the fertilizing questions do not correspond with 

 the theoretical facts. 



Ordinarily, the explanation will be found else- 

 where. A ton of inferior alfalfa hay is not equal in 

 feeding value to a ton of wheat bran if weather- 

 beaten, much rained upon, or weedy and unappetiz- 

 ing. A ton of cottonseed meal is not worth its esti- 

 mated value for feeding and fertilizing if it contains 

 so many hulls that its protein and fat constituents 

 are far below its normal composition. The fact is, 

 the plant food contained in a ton of cottonseed meal 

 is worth $27.82 according to the prices of commer- 

 cial fertilizers, but the farmer will fail to get results 

 in line with this fact if the liquid manure is lost or 

 if the manure is leached by rains or burned up 

 through fermentation. This same cottonseed meal 

 will not be worth its commercial price as a feeding 

 stuff when fed to a poor cow or steer as compared 

 with other feeds of good quality consumed by a good 

 cow or steer. 



