ECONOMY OF FARMING. 



29 



hard stalks may be chopped up for the purpose. Taking all those things into view, 

 it stands next to the straw of summer-rye in value as tbider. 



" 5. Millal-strdw lias a hard stalk, but contains at least as nnich nutritious matter 

 as the straw of the winter-cereals, at the same time that millet is cut l»elbre it is iully 

 ripe. 



'•6. B'icl.-iclteat, on account of its quantity on a field of less fertility, and if of fine 

 stalk, in which case its value as fodder from its straw being ricii witli leaves, is en- 

 hanced, is as good as the straw of the winter-grain. 



"7. The straw of the usual wiiitei-;Lr/<iiii truits, as of barley, wlicat. spcltz and 

 rye, has less value as fodder, and is therefore employed more lor litter, llye-straw is 

 the least valuable for fodder of the straw of all the cereals. 



"8. i5ea'/-straw, in case its leaves have not fallen oif or arc decaye 1, and the 

 ends of the stalk are green when it is cut, as many experiments have shown, have 

 a much higher value as fodder than is usually supposed. 11' the very harvl stalks are 

 chopj^ed fine, and scalded with juicy fodder mixed with it the nutritious quality of it is 

 little inferior to that of the straw of other leguminous phmts. The average of many 

 experiments as to the proportion of straw to the grain of the usual straw-fruits, is to 

 100 lbs of straw and grain as follows: 



"Winter-wheat 47 lbs.; winter-rye 40 lbs.; summer-wheat 55 lbs.; summer-rye 

 45 lbs. ; oats 63 lbs. ; barley 66 lbs. ; peas 43 lbs. ; vetches 43 lbs. ; beans 42 lbs." 



Thaer has given some estimates of the comparative amount of nutritious matter 

 in dilterent ^(bstances used for feeding cattle which may be suitably introduced 

 here : He" says that according to experiments, it has been found that 100 parts of 

 good hay, contain 50 parts which may be reckoned as easily adapted for nutriment. 

 '•Of 100 parts of potatoes reduced to the same degree of dryness as the hay, there 

 are dry 30 parts, of which 25 are nutritious ; therefore 94 lbs. of potatoes are equal in 

 nutriment to 47 lbs. of hay. Beets have 8 per cent., which a person may consid.er 

 certainly nutritious, and 4 per cent, of harder digestible fibre ; their nutritious power 

 may therefore be set down at lOper cent— Ruta baga contains 12 per cetit. nutritious 

 matter, and 3 per cent, of more difficult fibre. The same is the case with turnips." 



Veit, Vol. I. p. 260, has also some tables showing the equivalents of many plants, 

 &c., to hay, by which it appears from many experiments that the following ratio exists : 



NAME OF MATERIALS OF FODDER. 



100 lbs. of hay are equal to — 100 lbs. of hay are equal to — 



I. 



MeaJij Grain Fruits. 

 1. Good kernels — 

 a. Of the usual (jrain fruits — 



II. 



Root^ Kiioh and Cabbage Plants 



Potatoes, 200 



Artichoke, .... 230 



Red Beet, . . . . 300 



Swedish turnips or cabbage turnips, 300 



Carrots, 270 



W^hite turnips, .... 400 



Cabbage cOO 



Stalks of root and knob plants in a 



green state, .... 500 



III. 



Fodder- Plants and Grasses. 



Luzerne sainfoin red clover, and 

 all kinds of clover, with vari- 

 ous species of grain and legu- 

 minous p.lants used green for 

 fodder. .... 90 



Good meadow-hay, . . .100 



Moss-hay, and other poor kinds of 



hay,' 150 



Grassc.< and herbaceous cabbage 



plants in a green state, . 450 



