GO 



MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



Feeding of Animals. — Hay is the kind of 

 fodder most frequently used, and may be con- 

 sidered almost as the normal food of those ani- 

 mals which are of the most importance in the 

 farm. It is on this account that it may conve- 

 niently be taken as a standard by which other 

 kinds of vegetable food may be compared. The 

 quality, liowever, of liay varies extremely ; our 

 standard, therefore, must be good meadow hay. 

 It appears, from the analysis I have made at va- 

 rious periods, that in the state in which it iscon- 

 Bumed it contains from 1 to 1^ per cent, of 

 azote. As, however, the determination of its 

 nutritive value is of great importance, I shall 

 point out the mode of proceeding, in order to 

 obtain specimens representing as fairly as pos- 

 sible the mass from wlience they are taken. — 

 The method is applicable to other kinds of fod- 

 der. Hay is composed of four distinct parts, 

 each of which has a very different nutritive value. 

 It is of consequence, then, that in a specimen 

 taken for the determmatiou of the azote it con- 

 tains, each of these parts should be properly 

 represented. I distingush in hay — 1, the woody 

 stems ; 2, the slender straws or stems to which 

 the leaves were attached ; 3, the leaves, flowers, 

 and seeds. A small portion of hay is taken and 

 carefidly sorted, and the parts are weighed sep- 

 arately. In a specimen of strong meadow hay, 

 made in 1841, 1 found — 



lbs. drachm.'!. 



Woody stems 2,404 Taken for analysis, 680 



StravFS or verj' slender 



stems 8,493 " " 239 



Flowers, leaves, and a 



few seeds 1,764 " " 497 



Mixture analj'sed 1,416 



My analysis gave — 



Azote, per cent 1.19 



Contract hay for Parisian Caralry, 1840 1.21 



Hay ti-om Alsace of 1&3.5 1.04 



1837 1.15 



Mean of four samples, in the state in which it is 



consumed 1.15 



In this state it contains from 11 to 12 per cent, 

 of moisture, which is dissipated by desiccation. 

 Since albumen, caseum, and vegetable gluten, 

 contain 16 per cent, of azote, the animal matter 

 (or flesh) may be estimated at 7.2 per cent. Hay 

 does not, however, alwaj"s present this quantum 

 of azote ; that, for instance, from marshy land 

 contains liecidedly less. Some, on the contrary, 

 is more rich in the animal principle. The same 

 hay vi'ill give a larger proportion if the woody 

 stems which it contains be removed. The second 

 crop is generally more nutritious than the first, 

 as we have often proved at Bechelbronn ; but it 

 is considered, I know not why, to be less fit for 

 horses. Perhaps this ari.ses from its being more 

 liable to be more or less spoiled in the stack, in 

 consequence of its being made in damper 

 weather. 



A second crop e.ive on analysis - . 2 per cent of azote. 

 A choice sample of the first quality 1.29 " " 



Hay divested of the greater part 



of the woody stems, and con- 



Bisting principally of bottom.. 2.1 " " 



These examples arc sufficient to prove that, 

 in considering the substitution of other food for 

 hay, attention must be paid to the quality. In 

 the table which I have prepared, I have taken, 

 as the basis of the equivalents, ordinary meadow 

 hay, containing 1.15 per cent, of azote and 11 

 per cent, of water. The importance of a table 



- (108) 



of equivalents, as regards different kinds of 

 food, is duly appreciated by all agriculturists; 

 and great thanks are due to those who have 

 taken pains to arrive at a knowledge of their 

 relative value. The mode of using such tables 

 is very simple. The numbers placed below the 

 value of hay indicate the weight which may be 

 substituted for 100 lbs. of hay. For instance, 

 according to Block, 366 Ib.s. of caiTots may be 

 substituted for 100 lbs. of meadow hay. Ac- 

 coiding to Pabst, 60 lbs. oats=100 lbs! hay. — 

 Would we then substitute Jerusalem artichokes 

 for 3.3 lbs. of oats, which form part of the food 

 of a horse, we find in the table 60 lbs. of oats= 

 274 lbs. Jerusalem artichokes, whence ■we con- 

 clude that it will require 15 lbs. of the tubers to 

 compen.sate the above named weight of oats. — 

 A certain knowledge of the relative value of 

 food may be of real benefit in niral economj-, as 

 it may guide the farmer in his determination of 

 what kind of diet is the most profitable. Sup- 

 pose, for example, 165^ lbs. of potatoes to be 

 worth lOd. in the market, when 220| lbs. of hay 

 is worth 5.-;. Then, if we admit, in accordance 

 with theory, that 220i lbs. of hay=695 of the tu- 

 bers, it is clear, on comparing the price of these 

 equivalents, that there is a Cfmsiderable advan- 

 tage in buying potatoes, for the 695 lbs. of pota- 

 toes would cost only 3s. 6d. At this price it 

 would be beneficial to the farmer to sell his hay 

 and replace it with potatoes. The equivalents 

 which I have deduced from the analysis of vari- 

 ous kinds of food agree in most cases ^\ith the 

 numbers assigned by practical men ; sometimes, 

 on the contrary, they differ remarkably. It must, 

 hov^'ever, be observed, that the equivalents of 

 practical writers exhibit differences of the same 

 nature. Schnee and Thaer give as the equiva- 

 lent of 100 lbs. of hay 666 lbs. of w-heat .straw, 

 whereas Flotow gives 175 lbs. According to 

 Meyer, 290 lbs. of tumips^lOO lbs. of hay, 

 whereas Middleton gives 800 as the equivalent, 

 a result which accords with that of theory. — 

 Block gives 30 as the equivalent of peas, \\hile 

 Thaer, who is quite as high an authority, gives 

 66. The same agriculturist gives 460 as the 

 equivalent of mangel-wurzel, wliile Pabst and 

 Meyer give 250, and M. de Dombasle 261. — 

 Making every allowance for the difficulties of 

 the subject, it is hard to account for these great 

 discrepancies. As regards the marvellous agree- 

 ment which the practical results frequently pre- 

 sent, one cannot but be convinced that authors 

 have often silently transcribed the results ob- 

 tained previou.sly by others. It is often impos- 

 sible to decide whether the data of agricultural 

 vi'orks are original or merely transcriptions. — 

 Every one at all acquainted with experiments 

 will at once decide that 11 isolated observers 

 can never have arrived in the case of Lucerne 

 hay at the exact equivalent of 90, or that five 

 have obtained preciselj' 600 for Cabbages. 



[BouEsingault. 



Manure for Onio.ns. — I have always suc- 

 ceeded in the follo\\'ing way, beini? the surest 

 and most economical : — Take off about 4 inches 

 of the earth on the surface, the length and width 

 of your bed, so that the ground under be sohd. 

 Spread stable-dung well over, about 4 inches in 

 thickness, and then cover the same over with 

 the earth taken from the surface. Sow your 

 seeds rough, and you are almost sure of an abund- 

 ant crop ; and the land is the best for parsnips 

 and carrots the following year. 



[R. F. J., Ottery 



