42 FEEDING FARM HORSES 



furnished at but one third the cost. Taking up Bess and 

 Maud we find equally interesting facts. Both were fed 

 equal quantities of grain, both did the same kind of work and 

 nearly equal in amount. Both increased in weight during 

 the run of the experiment, the advantage being in favor of 

 Maud. 



With these two animals it was likewise a comoarison of 

 corn stover and timothy hay. The grain, however, was 

 different, corn and bran having been fed them instead of 

 corn and oats which had been given Mag and Nell. 



Not once dining the seventy-three days did either weigh 

 less than at the beginning. ,So comparing these two rough- 

 age foods, where corn and bran were fed as the grain part of 

 the ration, one seems to be quite the equal of the other. 



Hay and corn stover have thus been compared on two 

 common kinds of grain mixture, with results almost equal, 

 the advantage being a trifle in favor of corn stover. When 

 we consider the relative values of timothy hay and corn 

 stover, commercially, we will realize then how important 

 that the latter be utilized whenever it is available. We can 

 grow from three to five tons of dry matter per acre in form of 

 the corn plant, but scarcely a couple tons per acre in form of 

 timothy hay. This gives a double reason for a more extended 

 use of corn in all its forms. 



From the above experiment we can see that where the 

 farm horse during the winter season is not put to very 

 strenuous work corn stover can be utilized as the whole ot 

 the roughage, thereby materially decreasing the cost of keep- 

 ing the farm work during that time. ^ 



Going back to the table again let us see in reference to the 

 grain part of these rations. Take Nell and Maud, where hay 

 was the constant factor. Nell, fed on oats and corn, slightly 

 gained in weight ; but Maud, fed on bran and corn, gained as 

 much. Taking corn stover now as the constant factor, Mag 

 on corn and oats remained constant in weight during the 

 period, while Bess made a slight gain. 



The conclusion may be drawn from this experiment that 

 corn stover has a feeding value, when fed either with corn 

 and oats or corn and bran in the proportions it has been here. 



