218 



THE COMPLETE GRAZIER. 



variably be found to be in proportion to the nutriment contained in 

 the aliment. It is an old and a true proverb, " No food, no cattle ; no 

 cattle, no dung ; no dung, no corn ; " or, indeed, any other good crops. 



The following Table, compiled from a paper dealing with "The 

 Valuation of Unexhausted Manures," in which Dr. J. A. Voelcker and 

 Mr. A. D. Hall review and revise the original tables of Sir John B. 

 Lawes and Sir J. Henry Gilbert ("Journal of the Eoyal Agricultural 

 Society," vol. Ixiii., 1902, pp. 76-114), shows the manure-value supposed 

 to be contributed by the consumption during the last year on the farm 

 of a ton of each of the foods specified. The assumption is that half of 

 the total original nitrogen of the food, three-fourths of the phosphate, 

 and practically all the potash becomes usefully available; available 

 nitrogen being taken at about Q^d. per lb., phosphoric acid at a little 

 over \\d. per lb., and potash at rather less than 2%d. per lb. (For fuller 

 details see pp. 1002 and 1003.) 



TABLE showing the original value of the Manures obtained from the consumption of one ton 

 of different Articles of Food, each supposed to be of good quality of its kind. 



DESCRIPTION OF FOOD. 



Linseed .... 

 Linseed-cake 

 Decorticated cotton-cake 

 Palm-nut cake 

 Undecorticated cotton-cake 

 Cocoa-nut cake 

 Rape-cake 



Peas 

 Beans . 



Indian corn 

 Wheat . 

 Malt . 

 Barley . 

 Oats 

 Rice meal 



s. d. 



12 2 



1 15 11 



1 8 11 



1 1 9 



16 4 



7 7 



6 5 



6 9 



3 1 



2 6 



2 4 



In connection with the subject of cattle-food, three points have been 

 much discussed of late years namely, the "cooking of food," the 

 " pulping of roots," and the use of " condimental foods." 



With reference to the cooking of food, opinion continues pretty much 

 divided as to its utility. That cooking possesses advantages inasmuch 

 as it permits of making the most of the foods that are to be consumed 

 is no doubt true ; at the same time there is no experimental proof that 

 the digestibility of the food stuffs is thereby increased. According to 

 Sir John Lawes, experiments conducted in Germany have even shown 

 decreased digestibility of hay to follow upon steaming. " Coarse hay fed 

 to oxen, first dry, then steamed, showed a reduced digestibility of all 

 the constituents, but especially of protein, which was reduced from 46 

 per cent, to 30. Boiled bran given to oxen was less digestible than 

 dry bran. The digestibility of concentrated fodder is not increased by 

 cooking." In some experiments in the feeding of pigs, it was found that 



