25O FEEDING FARM ANIMALS 



By sowing the flax with the grain or grains with which 

 it is to be fed, it may be obtained virtually without cost 

 other than the, seed sown. More than 5 to 10 per cent 

 of flax in the grain fed would usually be unnecessary, and 

 to ascertain how much seed to sow to furnish this amount, 

 can only be found through actual experience in any given 

 locality. When flax seed is thus grown, it precludes the 

 necessity for purchasing oil cake. The favorable influence 

 on digestion of a small quantity of flax seed in the ration, 

 is the strong argument in favor of feeding it thus. But it 

 can only be fed in limited quantities, otherwise the appetite 

 will be gradually lessened 



To cattle, when thus grown, the grain, with the flax in 

 it, is ground and fed for fattening. When present only in 

 limited quantities, the presence of the flax in the grain does 

 not seriously interfere with successful grinding in home 

 farm mills as would be the case with flax alone because of 

 its oily character. 



Meal similarly prepared may also be fed to milch cows. 

 When thus fed, the flax adds protein to the ration and aids 

 digestion, and is not present in sufficient quantities to af- 

 fect adversely the quality of the butter. 



Flax seed in the unground form has been used more 

 for feeding young calves during the milk period when fed 

 skim milk than for any other class of cattle. It is pre- 

 pared by making it into a gruel by soaking and boiling and 

 adding to the skim milk while hot. The object of heating 

 is to raise the temperature of the milk. Though excellent 

 for such a use, it is not so necessary to add heat to the milk. 

 now that newly separated milk is coming to be much used 

 for feeding calves. The seed in the ground form, usually 

 spoken of as linseed and fed with the milk or otherwise, 

 serves the purpose equally well except in instances in which 

 the temperature of the milk will be improved by raising it. 

 The quantity fed, a very small amount at first, may be 

 gauged by the condition of the voidings. Fed in excess, 

 the bowels become too lax. 



