FOOD AND FEEDING. 389 



repeatedly at Bechelbronn ; but this hay is nevertheless held less 

 suitable for horses, probably because, being made late in the season, 

 it is commonly stacked more or less damp, and suffers change in 

 consequence : 



After-math hay gave 2.0 per cent, of azote 



A choice sample 'f the best hay 1.29 " 



The flower or eai, containing Uttle woody stem 2.1 " 



These examples suffice to show, that when an animal is to be put 

 upon another kind of food than hay, it is very necessary to take the 

 quality of the latter article, which has been employed, into the ac- 

 count. In the table which I shall immediately present, I have as- 

 sumed good meadow-hay, containing 1.15 of azote and 11 of water 

 per cent, for my standard. The importance of a table of equivalents 

 for forage has long been felt by farmers ; and they who have given 

 their attention to the accumulation of data for its construction, de- 

 serve our best thanks. The use of a table of equivalents is extreme- 

 ly simple : the numbers placed underneath the value of hay in- 

 dicate the weights of the several kinds of forage named in the first 

 column, which may respectively be substituted for 100 parts of hay 

 by weight. Thus, according to Block, 366 lbs. of carrots may be 

 substituted for 100 lbs. of meadow-hay. Pahst holds 60 lbs. of oats 

 to be equivalent to 100 lbs. of hay. If the question be to replace 

 7.26 or 7| lbs. of oats in the ration of a horse by Jerusalem arti- 

 chokes, we find in the table that 60 of oats are equivalent to 274 

 Jerusalem potatoes, and we therefore infer that 35.2, say 35| lbs. 

 is the weight of the root to be substituted for that of the oats. 



Certain information on the nutritive value of the various .articles 

 consumed by cattle as food, is really of high importance in rural 

 economy ; it is obviously the only guide for the feeder in the use or 

 purchase of forage. Let us suppose, for example, that a measure of 

 potatoes (22 gallons) weighing 165 lbs. is worth 10^/. at market, 

 and that hay is worth 25. 6d. the cwt. ; 2 cwts. or rather 220 lbs. 

 would cost 5s. Let us now admit, on theoretical grounds, that this 

 quantity of hay is equivalent to 693 lbs. of potatoes; it plainly ap- 

 pears, on looking at the cost of these equivalents, that there would 

 be a positive advantage in using potatoes, inasmuch as they are 

 worth no more than 3s. 6kd. There would indeed be money to be 

 made by selling hay, and purchasing its equivalent in potatoes. 



The equivalents which I have deduced from my elementary ana- 

 lyses, agree on many occasions with the conclusions of practical 

 men ; in others, they differ notably from them ; at the same time it 

 must be observed, that the practical equivalents differ from one 

 another in at least an equal degree. We see, for instance, that 

 Schnee and Thaer think 220 lbs. of hay will be replaced by 1465 

 lbs. of wheat straw, while Flottow gives 429 lbs. as the equivalent 

 number. According to Mayer, 630 lbs. of turnip are equivalent to 

 220 lbs. of hay, while Middleton gives 1760 as the equivalent num- 

 ber of turnips, a number which coincides remarkably w^th that infer- 

 red from theory. Block assigns 66 as the equivalent number of 

 peas. Thaer makes it more than twice as high, viz. 145. Mangel 



33* 



