



Vol. XXIII, Second Series. 



ROCHESTER, N. Y, JULY, 1862. 



No 7. 



THE VALUE OF STRAW FOR FODDER. 



In the last "Journal of the Royal Agricultural 

 Society of England," Dr. Voelcker gives the results 

 of investigations on the " Composition and Nutri- 

 tive Value of Straw." Like all Dr. Voelcker's 

 productions, it is a paper abounding with practical 

 suggestions and scientific facts. It is the most in- 

 teresting contribution to agricultural science that 

 has appeared for some time. Many farmers, Dr. 

 V. thinks, '• form much too low an estimate of the 

 feeding value of every kind of straw except pea- 

 tiaulru." Perhaps this is true, but in this country 

 tve have thought that some farmers estimate it too 

 highly, as they feed little else ! 



The value of straw as a fertilizing substance is 

 jertainly over estimated by most American farm- 

 ers. In itself, it contains a very small proportion 

 }f fertilizing constituents. "Its chief value," Dr. 

 V. remarks, "are as an absorbent of the most 

 valuable portions of the excrements of animals, 

 md as the best fixer of the ammonia which is al- 

 ways generated when excrementitious matters in 

 intact with porous materials and a sufficient 

 mantity of moisture enter into active fermentation, 

 rhe action of straw in fixing ammonia may be thus 

 explained. During the fermentation of dung the 

 ivoody fibre of straw is converted by degrees into 

 llmic, humic, and similar organic acids, which im- 

 part to liquid manure or to the drainings of dung- 

 leaps a more or less dark brown color. The grad- 

 lal resolution of the nitrogenized part of the ex- 

 ;rements into ammoniacal compounds proceeds 

 limultaneously with the formation of organic acids 

 jelonging to the humic acid series. All the acids 

 )f that series possess great affinity for ammonia, in 

 virtue of which they unite with the ammonia of 

 he volatile carbonate of ammonia, which, without 

 he addition of a proper quantity of litter, would 

 vaporate from a heap of fermenting excrements. 

 Straw thus furnishes the raw material for the pro- 

 luction of a number of organic acids, which, by 



laying hold of ammonia, preserve that most valua- 

 ble constituent in our manure." In other words, 

 straw does not contain much fertilizing matter it- 

 self, but it affords the means of preserving the 

 ammonia produced by feeding out grain, oil-cake, 

 clover hay, etc. Those who do not feed out these 

 rich foods fail to avail theniselves of the chief use 

 of straw on the farm, so far as the manure heap is 

 concerned. 



The quantity of water in well harvested straw 

 at the time it is stacked varies from 25 to 3G per 

 cent. After stacking, a good deal of water evapo- 

 rates, and soon sinks to 16 or 18 per cent. Straw 

 is such an hygroscopic substance that the quan- 

 tity of water it contains varies greatly according to 

 the state of the atmosphere. Dr. V. found as little 

 as 8 per cent, and as much as 19 per cent, of water 

 in straw taken at different times from the outside 

 of the same stack! He thinks that, on an average, 

 straw contains about 10 per cent, of water. 



WHEAT STRAW. 



Two samples of wheat straw were analyzed, one 

 fairly ripe, the other over-ripe. They contained, 

 in 100 lbs. : 



Over-ripe. 

 9.17 

 4.»1 



S6.02 



100.00 100.00 



The ripe straw contained 1.10 per cent, of oil, 

 while the over-ripe contained only 0.65; of gum, 

 sugar and extractive matter, the ripe contained 

 6.28 ; the over-ripe, only 3.46 ; of soluble protein 

 compounds, ripe 0.50, over-ripe only 0.06 — that is 

 to say, the ripe straw contained more than eight 

 times as much as the over-ripe straw. From these 

 results it would appear that the ripe straw is 

 worth twice as much as that which is over-ripe. 



BARLEY STRAW. 



In this case two samples were also taken, one 

 " not too ripe," the other " dead ripe." The for- 

 mer contained of substances soluble in water, 

 12.40j and the latter only 5.80 per cent. Here 



Ripe. 



Water 8.14 



Substances soluble in water 8.77 



Substances insoluble in water 83.09 



