142 



THE GENESEE FAIiMER. 



he admits tliat tlie solvents ia the stmnacli niiglit 

 (lissulve a largiM- amount. The results ot tlic ex- 

 j)enments of "Stceckhardt and Sitssdorf prove 

 that 80 per cent, of the cellulose of i)ai)er (the 

 altered fibre of Hax) is assimilable, and it is, there- 

 fore, not unreasonable to infer that the cellulose of 

 a mere jialatablo substance than paper might be 

 altogether digestible. 



"The facts which I have adduced clearly prove 

 tliat the straws of the cereals possess a far higher 

 nutritive power than is commoidy ascribed to 

 them ; that when properly harvested they contain 

 from 20 to 40 per cent, of undoubted nutriment ; 

 and lastly, that it is highly probable that their so- 

 called indigestible woody fibre is to a great extent 

 assimilable. 



" The composition of cellulose is nearly, if not 

 quite, identical with that of starch, and it may, 

 therefore, be assumed to be equal in nutritive 

 power to that substance — that is, it will, if assimi- 

 lated, be converted into four-tenths of its weiglit 

 of fat, Now, as cellulouse forms from six-tenths 

 to eight-tenths of the weight of straws, it is evi- 

 dent tliat if the wlude of tliis substance were di- 

 gestible, straws would be an exceedingly valuable 

 fattening food. ^Yhen straw, in an unprepared 

 state is consumed, there is no doubt but that a 

 large proportion of its cellulose remains unappro- 

 priated — nay, more, it is equally certain that tlie 

 hard woody fibre protects, by enveloping them, 

 the soluble and easily digested constituents of the 

 straw, from the action of the gastric juice. I 

 would, therefore, recommend that straw should be 

 either cooked or fermented before being made use 

 of: in either of these states its constituents are far 

 more digestible that when the straw is merely cut, 

 or even wiien it is reduced to chaflf. An excellent 

 mode of treating straw is to reduce it to chatf, 

 subject to the action of steam, and mix it with 

 roots and oil- cake or corn. A better and a cheaper 

 plan is to mix the straw with sliced roots, moisten 

 the mass with water, and allow it to remainuntil a 

 slight fermentation has set in. This process etfect- 

 nally softens and disintregates, so to speak, woody 

 fibre, and sets free the stores of nutritious matters 

 which it envelops. Some farmers who hold straw 

 in high estimation prefer giving it just as it comes 

 from the field ; they base this practice on the be- 

 lief that ruminantes require a bulky and solid food, 

 and that their digestive powers are quite sufficient 

 to efiect the solution of all the useful constituents 

 of straw. It may be quite true that cattle, as as- 

 serted, can extract more nutriment out of straw 

 than horses can, but tliat merely proves the greater 

 power of their digestive organs. No doubt, the 

 food of the ruminants should be bulky ; but I am 

 quite sure that cooked or fermented straw is suf- 

 ficiently so to satisfy the desire of those animals 

 for quantity in their food, 



"So far a-s I can learn, all the carefully -con- 

 ducted feeding experiments to test the value of 

 straw wliich bave been made have yielded results 

 (Lighly favorrtl)le to that article." 



Mr. Lawes is making some experiments which 

 will probably tlsrow much light on the question as 

 to how far cellulose or woody fibre is digestible, 

 and determine the nutritious properties of straw. 

 We shall look with much interest for the result. 



AMEEICAN CHEESE IN ENGLAND. 



Last year wc exported to England 735,854 boxes 

 of American cheese, or 51,720,000 pounds 1 



One would suppose that this enormous importa- 

 tion of cheese would have a depressing influence 

 on the English market; but such does not appear 

 to be the case, Messrs. J. & E. Corderot & Co., 

 of London, in their annual review of the cheese 

 trade, published in the Marie Lane Express., write 

 as follows : 



" In taking a review of the course of the cheese 

 trade during the past year, we have to remark not 

 only increased production, but a larger demand. 

 Notwithstanding the immense iin[)ortations of 

 Ameuican cheese, and an iinjiroved supply from 

 Scotland, stocks have only occasion.ally proved in- 

 conveniently large, and prices of really good quali- 

 ties of Cheshire cheese bave been well sustained. 

 The increased population of London is doubtless 

 the chief reason hu' increased consumption. 



"At the connnenceinent of the past year the 

 stocks of Cheshire cheese were heavy, and the bulk 

 was common in quality. This, with large supplies 

 of American, made the price of ordinary descrip- 

 tions of English cheese 5s, to 8s. per cwt. lower 

 than at present. Really fine cheese was also rather 

 cheaper. As the season advanced, the demand for 

 best qualities improved, and somewhat higher rates 

 were secured. Inferior sorts, and cheese out of 

 condition, remained at low quotations — say at SCs. 

 to 4Gs. per cwt. 



"In the month of June a further advance on fine 

 cheese was obtained; but common descriptions re- 

 mained without change in value. In July, when 

 new cheese began to arrive, the stocks of old were 

 quite equal to former years; fine old, however, was 

 scarce, and upwards of 80s. was made for very 

 choice dairies. New American cheese arrived, 

 but, being ordinary and tender, sold at low rates." 

 The freight on cheese and butter, in proportion 

 to value., is less, with the exception of cotton and 

 tobacco, than on any other production of American 

 agriculture; and there is no reason why American 

 cheese should not be exported in vastly greatei 

 quantity. One thing is certain : if it will pay tc 

 send wheat and corn to England, it will pay much 

 more to send butter and cheese, because the freight 

 in proportion to value, is not one-half as great. 



But why need we send such poor cheese to Eng 

 land? Why should we be reminded every week 

 as we take up the Mark Lane Express., or the Iris) 

 Farmers' Oazette, tliat American cheese, butte; 

 and bacon, command far less prices than thi 

 Cheshire or tlie Irish? We have this momen 

 turned to the last number of the Mark Lane Et 

 press., and there are the quotations, as usual : 



CIIBRSK, PRE CWT. 



Choshire CBs. to 75: 



Double Oloucoeler, 58s. to 64i 



ChLMl.lar, 6(i8. to 76 



AnTerican, 408. to 6i 



Uow do American cheese-makers like the fil| 



