THE CONCENTRATES 



169 



this country, but in middle and northern Europe it is one of the 

 common grain feeds for farm animals. It makes an excellent feed 

 for horses and dairy cows, and, fed with dairy by-products, produces 

 a fine quality of pork. It is generally fed ground, cracked, or rolled. 

 The last method of preparation is considered preferable, because, 

 fine-ground barley forms a pasty mass in the mouth of animals 

 and is more likely to give rise to digestive troubles than when rolled, 

 as is the case with fine-ground corn or corn and oats for horses. 

 There is a prejudice among some farmers against feeding barley 

 to milch cows, but this is doubtless unfounded, for its value for. 

 milk production has been fully established. In an experiment at the 

 California University Farm 6 a cow that received green alfalfa or 

 alfalfa hay and only rolled barley in addition, 10 pounds daily as a 

 maximum feed, produced an average of 60 pounds of milk for over 

 three months, and not only did better on this feed, but kept up better 

 in her milk flow than during any previous lactation period. 



Barley is higher in protein and carbohydrates than oats, and 

 lower in fat, containing, on the average, 12.0 per cent protein, 1.8 

 per cent fat, 4.2 per cent fiber, 68.7 per cent nitrogen-free extract, 

 and 2.5 per cent ash. It has a high digestibility. 



Percentage Digestibility of Barky 



While it is considered that rain or foggy weather during ripen- 

 ing injures the quality of barley for brewing, this does not affect 

 its feeding value in any way, and barley unfit for brewing can often 

 be obtained for feeding purposes at a low figure. 



Rye is less used for stock feeding in America than the three 

 cereal grains considered in the preceding. Its value for this purpose 

 is, however, well established. It is the common bread grain in 

 northern Europe, and is also fed to stock when its price is not too 

 high. Eye does not differ greatly from barley in the composition 

 or feeding value. Its average composition is : 11.3 per cent protein, 

 1.9 per cent fat, 1.5 per cent fiber, 74.5 per cent nitrogen-free ex- 

 tract, and 2.1 per cent ash. Its average digestion coefficients, as 

 determined with cows, are : Protein, 80 per cent ; fat, 86 per cent, 

 and nitrogen-free extract, 80 per cent. 



» Report 1914-15, p. 33; See Farmers' Bui. 96S ; Jr. Biol. Chem. 35, p. 61. 



