FOOD FROM CEREALS AND OTHER SEEDS 233 



ground oats or wheat bran, the barley furnishing about one- 

 third of the grain by weight or even a larger proportion. 

 The mixture of oats and barley may be obtained in many 

 instances with greater profit by growing the two together; 

 when fed freely with large quantities of field roots, it tends 

 to counteract undue laxity of the bowels. 



For sheep, unground barley is valuable when fed in 

 suitable combinations. Fed as part of the grain ration to 

 lambs while nursing or subsequently, especially in conjunc- 

 tion with oats, the results are satisfactory. It may suitably 

 form from one-third to one-half the grain ration for breed- 

 ing ewes, the other portion being preferably unground oats 

 and a small proportion of wheat bran or oil cake. To sheep 

 that are being fattened, the fodder being rich. in protein, it 

 may furnish the sole grain ration, but when not less than 

 one-third of the grain ration is oats or corn, according to 

 the advancement of the feeding, better results may be 

 looked for. 



For swine, barley stands at the head of all cereals in 

 producing high quality pork, because of the firmness and 

 flavor which it imparts. Experiments carefully conducted 

 have shown that ground barley when fed to swine produced 

 8 per cent less increase than corn. Ground and soaked, it 

 has special adaptation for being fed along with skim milk 

 and clover, alfalfa or vetch pasture up to the fattening pe- 

 riod. During the fattening period, it may furnish the sole 

 grain food, but corn in such proportion as will suit the end 

 sought will add to the palatability of the food, and conse- 

 quently will improve the gains. Barley will probably be 

 much more used in the United States for feeding swine as 

 it is now in Canada, when the bacon idea in pork production 

 becomes more pronounced. The bald varieties, pound for 

 pound, should also be more valuable than the other varieties, 

 because of the less amount of hull in the former. 



For horses, barley stands next to oats in suitability as 

 a grain food. Where the prices will admit of so doing, it 

 may be used as the principal or even sole grain ration, as 



