354 FEEDING FARM ANIMALS 



Hay, for instance, when left unduly long in cocks, takes 

 harm from the absorption of ground moisture and from 

 undue drying and weathering of the outer portions. The 

 straw of certain cereals, useful for being fed to stock when 

 well saved, will soon become practically valueless for feed- 

 ing if left standing in shocks for any considerable time after 

 ready for being stored. Corn stalks gradually lose more or 

 less and in various ways, from the time they are put in 

 shock and probably in an accelerated ratio as the season ad- 

 vances. Cull potatoes soon deteriorate materially in food 

 value if left exposed after being dug. The rule is a safe 

 one that invariably aims to store foods at the earliest mo- 

 ment practicable after they are ready. 



Fodders can in no other way be protected so per- 

 fectly after storage as when they have been stored 

 under cover. Nor can they in any other way, as a rule, 

 be stored so as to involve less labor while feeding them. 

 The benefit from such protection increases with increase in 

 the precipitation, increase in damp, snowfall and sleet, and 

 increase in the rawness rather than in the degree of the 

 cold. The extent to which such protection will be profitable 

 must be determined in a considerable degree by the cost of 

 materials used in building. When legumes are stored in 

 stacks, they cannot be protected in a rainy climate from seri- 

 ous loss unless other materials are used in topping out the 

 stacks that will completely shed rain. Field roots of all 

 kinds, including parsnips and artichokes, must be protected 

 from frost or they will take injury varying in degree from 

 a slight lessening of the feeding value to a total loss. They 

 must also be kept so cool that they will not begin to sprout. 



The storing of food where it will be convenient for 

 feeding, is greatly important. If it can be stored so that 

 further handling is not necessary until given to the animals 

 for consumption, the economy in handling will be apparent, 

 as compared with an intermediate handling in addition. 

 But intermediate handling cannot always be avoided. In 

 the case of corn fodder, in some instances it is necessary 



