192 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



April 



4 



MR. HORSFALL'S SYSTEM OF DAIRY 

 FEEDING. 



The inquiries recently made in the Farmer, by 

 Mr. Baldwin, for further information in respect to 

 the system of dairy feeding adopted by Mr. Hors- 

 fall, of whose report we gave a brief synopsis some 

 time since, reminds us of a resolution then formed 

 to revert again to this subject ; as we felt at the 

 time little satisfaction with the result of our attempt 

 to give in a single column the main facts of a re- 

 port or statement that would fill about a dozen of 

 the long columns of our weekly sheet. 



It was bean meal, and not "bran meal," that we 

 spoke of as being given to the cows in proportion 

 to their yield of milk. Our correspondent, also, 

 uses the words, "best calculated to produce rich 

 milk," instead of our expression, "necessary to his 

 purposes" — an essential difference, when one of 

 those purposes was carefully stated to be beef-mak- 

 ing. But, in these fast times, we are all liable to 

 habits of hasty reading. 



By referring to our statement, Mr. Baldwin will 

 see that the bran is mixed with the rape-cake, bean 

 straw, &c., before the mass is steamed, and that 

 the bean meal is added on its being fed out. To 

 show Mr. Horsfall's estimation of the value of bran 

 and of bean straw, we will copy his analysis of each, 

 with some of his observations upon these articles. 



BEAN STRAW. 



Moisture 14.47 



Albuminous matter 16.38 



on or fatter matter 2.23 



Woody fibre 25.84 



Starch, gum, &c 31.63 



Mineral matters 9.45 



Total ,...100.00 



BRAN. 



Moisture 12.85 



Oil 5.56 



Albuminous matter 13.80 



Ash, (50 per cent, phos- 

 phoric acid) 6.11 



Other constituents 61.68 



Total 100.00 



"Bean straw," says Mr. H., "is dry and unpalata- 

 ble when uncooked ; by the process of steaming it 

 becomes soft and pulpy, emits an agreeable odor, 

 and imparts flavor and relish to the mess. In albu- 

 minous matter, which is especially valuable for 

 milch cows, it has nearly double the proportion con- 

 tained in meadow [field] hay. Bran also under- 

 goes a great improvement in its flavor by steaming, 

 and it is probably improved in its convertibihty as 

 food ; it contains about 14 per cent, of albumen, 

 and is peculiarly rich in phosphoric acid, nearly 3 

 per cent, of it^ whole substance being of this ma- 

 terial. The properties of rape-cake are well known ; 

 the published analysis gives it a large proportion 

 (nearly 30 per cent.) of albumen ; it is rich in phos- 

 phates and also in oil." 



In another connection, Mr. II. remarks : "I ad- 

 duce these calculations in corroboration of my 

 proposition that food rich in albumen has a more 

 especial value for the production of milk than for 

 fattening or beef-making." Again, he says: "I 

 have already alluded to the efficiency of bean meal 

 in increasing the quantity of butter. I learn also, 



from observant dairymen who milk their own cows, 

 and carry their butter to market, that their baskets 

 are never so well filled as when their cows feed on 

 green clover, which, as dry material, is nearly as 

 rich in albumen as beans. I am also told by those 

 who have used green rape plant, that it produces 

 milk rich in butter. From this we may infer that 

 albuminous matter is the most essential element in 

 the food of the milch cow, and that any deficiency 

 in the supply of this will be attended with loss of 

 condition, and a consequent diminution in the qual- 

 ity of her milk." 



Rape-cake is made from the seed of an edible- 

 rooted plant, called rape. The root is white and 

 carrot-shaped, but does not grow as large as the 

 carrot usually does. Rape-cake is the refuse re- 

 maining after the oil has been expressed, from the 

 rape, or, as it is sometimes called, the co?e-seed. 

 It contains a large quantity of mucilage, some por- 

 tion of albuminous matter, and a small proportion 

 of oil. In Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, England, 

 about sixteen bushels per acre is used, as a manure, 

 and in wet seasons, brings heavy crops. 



Albumen is the name given by chemists to the 

 glossy liquid which forms the ivhite of an egg, and 

 is nearly identical with the gluten of vegetables, 

 or that substance in flour of which paste is made. 



Phosphorus is manufactured from bones ; it is a 

 solid substance, resembling fine wax, and of a pale 

 yellow color ; when exj^osed to the air it takes fire 

 spontaneously, and burns with a pale, blue flame, 

 scarcely visible except in the dark. When heated 

 it takes fire and burns with a brilliant flame and in- 

 tense light, and sends off dense white fumes — these 

 fumes are phosphoric acid, and are produced by 

 the union of the burning phosphorus with the oxy- 

 gen of the atmosphere. If you burn a little phos- 

 phorus under a tumbler the white fumes will con- 

 dense on the inside in the form of a white powder, 

 which speedily absorbs moisture from the air, and 

 runs to a liquid. That liqmd is very sour and cor- 

 rosive, and is phosphoric acid. This acid will com- 

 bine with potash, lime, &c., and forms phosphates, 

 and in these states of combination it exists in soils 

 and manures, and enters into plants. 



"Of the Millet there are three distinct genera. 

 The Polish millet, cultivated in Poland, the com- 

 mon millet cultivated in Germany, and in England 

 and United States, and the great or Indian millet, 

 cultivated in India, Italy, and now in America." 

 The Egyptian millet which you spoke of we 

 think must be the great or Indian millet. We 

 have it dried and hung up in our seed-room, as also 

 the common millet. The latter is a frequent crop in 

 this State. It is excellent both as a green fodder, 

 or to be cured for hay. 



It would afford us pleasure to reply to your ques- 

 tions more minutely, if our space would permit. 



