216 THE STOCKFEEDER'S COMPANION 



XXX. LESSONS PROM FEEDING TRIALS, ETC. 



Fodder Crops. Oat straw, barley straw, and hay 

 are the chief fodder crops on which the feeder has to 

 rely in winter. These are bulky fodders which are 

 produced on the farm, and this is one of the most 

 convenient modes of utilising them. 



In Scotland, more especially Aberdeenshire and 

 Forfarshire, oat straw is the chief fodder crop used, 

 and along with roots and cake gives excellent results 

 with fattening bullocks, while in south Scotland and 

 north of England a little hay is often given with the 

 straw in the later stages of fattening. In the south of 

 England the straw is very dry and woody, on account 

 of the climate being warmer, hence hay has to be fed 

 much more freely to fattening bullocks. 



When the fodder crops are hard and of inferior 

 quality, or are short in quantity, it will probably be 

 found necessary to chaff it and feed along with roots 

 and meals. In the former case the roots will soften 

 the hay or straw, and in the latter it will enable one 

 to make a given quantity of fodder crops keep the 

 stock for a longer period. 



The amount of fodder crops that a bullock will eat 

 varies with the quantity of roots which it is receiving 

 and the amount of concentrates fed. E.g., in the 

 Edinburgh College experiments in 1906, the bullocks 

 receiving 90 Ibs. roots per head per day, and straw 

 ad lib. (lot i), consumed on an average 15 Ibs. straw, 

 while those receiving no to 135 Ibs. roots per head 

 per day (lot 2) consumed only ro Ibs. straw per head 

 per day. In the same experiment, where a limited 

 quantity of roots was fed (90 Ibs.), it appears that those 

 bullocks receiving a very heavy feed of concentrates 



