Sko. 6.] FEEDING CATTLE AND CARE OF FARM-STOCK. 75 



Mr. Plumb, of Onondaga County, said : " Wo don't raise any crop as val- 

 uable as corn, and we do raise good wheat. I foddered 150 sheep and 12 

 cows till March upon ten acres of corn-stalks, allowing the stock to run at a 

 straw-stack besides. I raise the large eight-rowed yellow corn with a small 

 oob, and like it better than Dutton corn. It yields better than any white 

 corn." 



It is the opinion of some really scientific men we have conversed witli 

 upon the subject, that in all places where hay usually sells as high as $20 a 

 tun, and power is not unusually expensive, that it would pay, not only to 

 chaff all hay, stalks, straw, etc., but actually to grind these substances into 

 meal — not very fine, to be sure, but so that none of the particles would be 

 more than an eighth of an inch in length. We saw, a few years ago, the 

 model of a newly-invented mill that was most admirably well calculated for 

 doing such work as reducing hay and straw to meal. It was the invention 

 of Mr. Elanchard, of Boston. 



Flint, in his " Dairy Farming," in speaking of feeding milch cows, says : 

 " One of the best courses is, to feed in the morning, either at the time of 

 milking— which I prefer — or immediately after, with cut feed, consisting 

 of hay, oats, millet, or corn-stalks, mixed with shorts, and Indian, linseed, 

 or cotton-seed meal, thoroughly moistened with water. If in winter, hot 

 or warm water is far better than cold. If given at milking-time, the cows 

 ■will generally give down the milk more readily. The stalls and mangers 

 ought always to be well cleaned out first." 



101. Nutritive Value of Various Kiuds of Fodder.— The following tables 

 will be useful, as showing the relative value of various substances : 



. — Per-centage of Nitrrtjjen. — * 

 Net. equivalent. Dried. Umiried. 



1. Meadow hay 100 1.34 1.15 



2. Red clover hay 75 1.70 1.54 



3. Rye-straw 479 0.30 0.24 



4. Oal-straw 883 0.36 0.30 



5. Wheat-straw 426 0.36 0.27 



0. Harlcy-straw 460 0.30 0.25 



7. Pea-straw 64 1.45 1.79 



Tlie following is the composition of these several substances, in which 

 their relative value will more distinctly appear : 



°ume°'e11: Fatty matter. Saline mattor. 



7 1 2 to 5 5 to 10 



9.3 3 to 5 9 



1.3 - 4 



1.8 0.8 6 



1.3 2to3 6 



1.3 - 5 



12.3 1.5 4 to 6 



From these tables it will be seen that, taking good English or meadow 

 hay as the standard of comparison, and calling that one, 4.79 times the 

 weight of rye-straw, or 3.83 times the weight of oat-straw, coiitniiis the same 

 amount of nutritive matter ; that is, it would take 4.79 times aa much rye- 

 Btraw to produce the same result as good meadow hay. 



