1896.] 



PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 33. 



77 



B. — How TO FEED Salt and Meadow Hays. 



{a) Salt Hays. 



Only general directions can be given. First, these hays., 

 having a value approaching an average English hay, can be 

 fed in place of the latter article in so far as composition and 

 digestibility (^. e., quality) are concerned. In the second 

 place, however, the amount of salt they contain will exert 

 a controlling influence on the quantity that the animal can 

 consume. The per cent, of salt in the four samples. received 

 was as follows : — 



This per cent, would proba])ly vary from time to time, 

 depending on the frequency with which the salt water 

 came in contact with the meadows, etc. Should black and 

 branch grasses contain on an average as much salt as found 

 in the present case, it would hardly seem wise to feed over 

 one-third to one-half of these grasses in the entire coape 

 fodder ration, while in case of the high-grown salt hay and 

 the fox grass two-thirds to even the entire coarse fodder ra- 

 tion could consist of these hays. The experience of prac- 

 tical feeders can and has undoubtedly solved this problem. 

 The majority of farmers will probably prefer to feed about 

 one-half salt hay and one-half English hay or other coarse 

 material. 



Coarse fodders can for practical purposes be fed ad libi- 

 tum; i. e., the animals can be given all they will consume. 

 This can be left to the judgment of the practical feeder. 



Grain Rations (on basis of milch cows of 1,000 pounds 

 live weight) . — The following rations are combined to go 

 with the coarse fodders : — 



