40 THE CATTLE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



purpose than as mere manure. The quality varies considerably, 

 according to nature of soil, climate, and, above all, method of 

 harvesting, the difference in this latter respect being very 

 remarkable and worthy of most serious attention. Some years 

 since we experimented on a crop of white Poland oats, cutting 

 one portion very unripe, another green but still ripening, and 

 leaving a third portion until dead ripe. We may dismiss the 

 first, as the analysis proved that material was left in the straw 

 which should have gone to the grain. The second — cut green, 

 but sufficiently forward to allow of a full and fine sample — 

 contained as much as 10 per cent, of sugar and gum, 30 per 

 cent of digestible fibre, and 2| per cent, of soluble (i.e., avail- 

 able) protein compounds. In the over-ripe the percentage of 

 sugar, gum, &c., was reduced to 3"19, the digestible fibre to 27*75, 

 whilst indigestible woody fibre, useless matter, was increased 

 from 31'78 to 41*82 per cent., the soluble protein being reduced 

 to 1*29. The effect of ripening straw is in all cases to increase 

 the insoluble material at the expense of that which is available 

 as food, and therefore the practical question for each to arrive 

 at is the exact period of time when the greatest amount of 

 nutriment remains in the straw, and the grain is properly 

 matured. It will be seen, by a careful study of the analysis of 

 these straws, made by the late Dr. Yoelcker, and recorded in the 

 twenty-second volume of the " Eoyal Agricultural Society's 

 Journal," that the actual amount of solid matter is identical in 

 the two samples ; therefore the grain is not robbed, and more- 

 over early cutting secures a finer quality, and is economical in 

 many respects. Now let us compare this oat straw with a 

 sample of well-made clover hay. We shall find that the differ- 

 ence of nutritive matter is not so considerable as we might 

 suppose — 



Clover Hay. Oat Straw. 



Water 20-50 16-00 



Oil 3-59 1-05 



Soluble protein compound 5-00 2-62 



Insoluble ditto 8-75 1*46 



Sugar, gum, &c 13-07 10-57 



Digestible fibre 16-42 30*17 



Indigestible fibre 25-62 31-78 



Soluble mineral matter 4-43 3-64 



Insoluble ditto 2-62 2-71 



