HOW TO FEED THE CORK CHOP. 307 



food in rumination. When grain is eaten alone it is not 

 raised and remasticated with the cud, but passes on to the 

 third stomach. This is the cause of so much corn passing 

 Western cattle without digestion, which is found in a soft- 

 ened state by the hogs that follow the cattle. 



Now if the cattle could eat the corn and fodder together, 

 the grain would be so mixed with the fibrous mass of corn- 

 stalks that all would be raised and remasticated together. 

 The grain would thus be so ground up as to prevent any 

 considerable portion from passing undigested, and the 

 whole would be utilized. The author, some years ago, rec- 

 ommended a method of feeding the whole crop of corn 

 together, by running stalks, ears and all through a large 

 cutter, and reducing it all to fine chaff. By using a power 

 cutter, run by steam or large horse-power, the whole may 

 be reduced to fine shavings with great rapidity two tons 

 per hour. This renders the stalks much more digestible, 

 because the cutter reduces the fibre to a finer condition 

 than the animal will masticate ; and then when this fine 

 chaif is taken into the rumen and softened, and then raised 

 with the grain and remasticated, it gets thoroughly mashed 

 and fitted for the reception of the manifolds and the final 

 action of the fourth or true stomach. When cut into fine 

 shavings, the hard rind of the stalk is broken into shreds, 

 and is eaten without any irritation of the mouth. When 

 cut into pieces one and a half to two inches long, remain- 

 ing there in a solid chunk with sharp edges, they some- 

 times irritate the mouth. We have recommended, where 

 large numbers of cattle are fed, and a steam-engine is em- 

 ployed for cutting, to run the cut chaff into a steam-box, 

 and, turning on the steam, soften it to a pulp. We have 

 no hesitation in saying that, thus fed, corn will lay on as 

 many pounds to the bushel as if it were husked, shelled, 

 ground and cooked; for the steaming more thoroughly dis- 

 integrates the grain than any possible grinding can do. 



