«l 



lbs. of 



An ox requires 2 per cent, of his live-weight, m hay, per day : if he works, 2^ 

 per cent. A milch cow, 3 per cent. A fattening ox, 5 per cent., at first ; 4 per 

 cent, when half fat ; and 4 when fat, or 4| average. Sheep, when grown, 3^ per 

 cent, of their weight in hay, per day. 



Much is said in the German works oi" artichokes, as a food for cows. Schwertz 

 gives the result of several experiments on this subject, which it may be useful to quote 

 here. He says, Vol. II., p. 620 : " 100 lbs. of stalks in a green state are equal to 

 Slf of hay ; in a dry state chopped up fine and mixed with other fodder 16 lbs. of 

 stalks are equal in value to 10 lbs. of hay." Thaer also says of the stalks in a green 

 state, " This stalk appears to us to be for sheep more valuable than for cows. They 

 are to be laid before sheep in September when they come home from the pasture. 

 Their desire for it w^as so great, that they ran up to the stable in expectation of it." 

 The knobs or roots are also most valuable for milch-cows ; 24 lbs. of them with 10 

 lbs. of clover-hay and 3 lbs. of ground rape-seed caused a cow to give as much milk 

 as with 24 lbs. of potatoes. The yield both in leaves, stalks and roots, is very 

 large. 



Veit, Vol. II. pp. 386, 423, gives us the following estimates of the consumption of 

 fodder for a cow and for an ox : 

 For a cow: 



in summer-stall-foddering for 120 days : 



green fodder at 18 lbs. worth of hay daily (=23 lbs. English) 

 for winter-fodder for 245 days : 



10 lbs. worth of hay, 6 lbs. of straw, 10 lbs. of potatoes daily 

 if pastured: summer pasture 150 days— equivalent to 

 18 lbs. of hay daily. 



winter fodder daily, for 215 days, as before. 

 For an ox : 

 in summer-foddering, 120 days : 



green clover-fodder = to 18 lbs. of hay, J 

 long meadow-hay, 5 lbs. " > daily, 



ground or bruised grain, 1 lb. " ) 



