NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



577 



&c, which are readily dissolved in the stomach, 

 and easily assimilated ; and not such suhstances 

 as woody fibre, which, though a non-nitrogenous 

 substance, and composed precisely of the same el- 

 ments as sugar, &c.,is not available as food, being 

 incapable of solution in the stomach, and is passed 

 through the body of the animal unchanged. 



In providing our store stock with food, especial- 

 ly in a season of scarcity, our 'object will be to 

 give them a sufficient amount of available non-ni- 

 trogenous substances in the least expensive form. 

 That is, leaving out every other relative question, 

 such as value of manure and increase of animal, 

 and aiming only at keeping the animals in a nor- 

 mal condition without work, we should prefer 

 those f iods, the price being the same, which con- 

 tain the most sugar, starch, &c, supplying the 

 necessary bulk with some cheap substance, such 

 as straw. 



The prices of some of the substances used as 

 food for cattle, taking Rochester wholesale prices 

 as the basis of calculation, will be an indication of 

 the value practical farmers put upon them. We 

 give the price per ton ; for it is weight, and not 

 hulk, that we desire in purchasing food, or in es- 

 timating its value. 



Bran, at ? en. f bushel of 40 lbs $14,00 ^ ton. 



Shorts, at 9 cts. ^ bushel of 14 lbs 12,86 " 



Coarse middlings, at 14 cts. \? bushel of 20 lbs.. .14,00 " 



Fine " Ht 20 cts. ^ bushel of 27 lhs.. .14,07 " 



" Ht 30 cts. #• bushel of 34 lbs. ..17,64 " 



Indian com, at 60 cts. ^ bushel of 60 lbs 20,00 " 



Oats, at 38 cts. \f bushel of 32 lbs 23,75 " 



Oilcake 20,00 "(c) 



Had we complete analyses of these substances, 

 it would be easy to decide accurately which would 

 be the cheapest food for the purpose. We have 

 no doubt, however, that Indian corn contains 

 much the most available non-nitrogenous matter, 

 and that 100 lbs. of ground corn meal mixed with 

 the required bulk of cut straw, will be of more 

 avail in sustaining animal life during the winter 

 than any other food that can be obtained at the 

 same price. We have no doubt, too, that horses 

 can be kept in the same way, at a much less cost 

 than feeding them on hay. If, however, they be 

 worked much during winter, they would require a 

 more nitrogenous food, to supply the wear and 

 tear of muscles, and a little oilcake meal, pea 

 meal, or oat meal, might be mixed with the cut 

 straw, etc. — instead of, or in addition to the corn 

 meal — with advantage. 



Boussingault estimates, from experiments and 

 chemical analyses, that 100 lbs. of good meadow 

 hay may he replaced by 



Bran 



Oats 



Barley 65 



Maize -".9 



Rye 77 



Linseed cake 22 



tteana 23 



85 Its. | Peas 27 lbs. 



Potatoes 280 " 



Carrot 382 " 



Wheal straw 426 " 



Oat straw 383 " 



Barley straw 460 " 



Pea straw 64 " 



straw, equal to G lbs. of hay; 5 lbs. oilcake, equal 

 to 22 lbs. of hay; and 3 lbs. corn meal, equal to 

 5 lhs. hay ; he will receive the same amount of 

 nutritious elements, and in about the same bulk, 

 while the cost of wintoring him in this way would 

 be considerably reduced. 



By carefully studying the price of substances 

 used as food, and their relative value, most farm- 

 ers may save considerable expense in keeping their 

 animals, not by stinting them, (no farmer can af- 

 ford that,) but by using that food wliieh contains 

 the most nutriment for a given cost. 



If this table of equivalents can be relied upon, 

 it appears that 100 lbs. of hay is equal to 42G lbs. 

 wheat straw, and that 22 lbs. of oilcake is equal 

 to 100 li'S. of hay, 08 lbs. of oats, 58 lbs. of bran, 

 &c. &c. Boussingault found that his 17 horses, 

 averaging 1,070 lbs. in weight, eat and did well on 

 a ration of 33 lbs. hay per day, working eight 

 hours regularly every day. To obtain the same 

 amount of nutritious food in straw, a horse must 

 lbs. of straw pier day — a feat he is incapa- 

 ble • 'n?: hut if we give him 30 lbs. oi 



Remarks. — We copy the above excellent and 

 seasonable article from the Genesee Farmer, pub- 

 lished at Rochester, N. Y., and upon which we 

 take the liberty of making an occasional remark. 

 The article is worthy of careful perusal. 



(a.) According to our observation, the idea 

 that animals require food in proportion to their 

 weight, is not correct ; it may be so as a "general 

 rule," but the exceptions are numerous. Side by 

 side, we have cows, where the lighter ones have 

 for several years consumed more food than those 

 heavier, although all are fed upon the same kind 

 of food. A horse under the same roof weighing 

 between eleven and twelve hundred pounds kept 

 fat upon a less quantity of food than one weighing 

 about nine hundred. Lean and light men we be- 

 lieve, as a general rule, eat more meat than those 

 who are fleshy, whether they require it or not. 



(b.) The word nitrogen has so much importance 

 in this article that it may not be improper to say 

 something of its properties and relations. Nitro- 

 gen composes about 80 per cent, of the atmosphere, 

 and is widely diffused throughout nature. It is 

 that element to which may be attributed the chief 

 enriching quality in manure, and is the basis of the 

 production of ammonia. Manures will be found 

 rich, in proportion to their quantity of nitrogen, or 

 their power of forming nitrates. It is destitute of 

 color, taste or odor, and is a little lighter than 

 common air ; absorbs water in very small quanti- 

 ties. Nitrogen forms an important part in the 

 growth of both animals and plants. It is abund- 

 ant in the sap of young plants, and fixes itself, as 

 the plant approaches maturity, in greatest abund- 

 ance in the green leaves and in the seeds. 



(c.) These articles would be somewhat higher 

 in New England. For instance, oilcake is selling 

 at $27,00 the ton ; southern corn at 80 cents, and 

 the shorts, &c, in proportion. ' 



Apples. — The apples left with us by Mr. J. 

 Harrington, from the garden of Mr. Adolpiius 

 Durant, of Lawrence, resemble Longville's Ker- 

 nel, which were introduced into our orchards from 

 the garden of the London Horticultural Society. 

 It is a fair autumn apple, but not better than ma- 

 ny well-known varieties now in common Cultiva- 

 tion. 



