MAlSrUAI/ OF CATTLE- FEEDING. 333 



f iirnislies an abundant and cLeap supply, and in combina- 

 tion with feeding-stuffs wliicb can supply its deficiency in 

 protein, it forms a valuable fodder. The old assnmptions 

 that the crude fibre of straw was indigestible, and that its 

 digestibility, as a whole, was far less than that of other 

 coarse fodders, have been shown to be erroneous ; the ex- 

 periments of Ilenneberg & Stohmann, since fully con- 

 firmed by numerous others, have shown indisputably that 

 about half of the total imtrients of straw, including the 

 crude fibre, are digestible, at least by ruminants, thns 

 placing it on an equality with other coarse fodders as 

 regards dii>;estibility. 



Straw is in general an entirely suitable fodder both for 

 horses and cattle, similar in its dietetic action to hay- 

 Straw which has suffered from diseases (rust, mildew, etc.), 

 and is thereby rendered unfit to serve as fodder at all, is, 

 of course, excluded in this statement. 



Variatioas in Composition. — The composition and 

 value of straw may vary considerably, depending, in the 

 first place, on the kind of straw. Oat straw is usually the 

 j*ichest; then follows bai*ley, which is valued for milk 

 cows ; next wheat, and last, rye, which is the poorest and 

 least digestible of all Summer straw is generally some- 

 what richer in protein and poorer in crude fibre than 

 winter straw, and also more tender and digestible. The 

 soil aiid manuring also influence the composition of straw 

 in the same way a$ that of hay ; a rich and well-manured 

 soil yields a better fodder than a poor, nnmanured one. 

 The manner of sowing, too, has an influence on the quality ; 

 when thickly sown broadcast the plants shade each other, 

 and the stalks remain more tender and succulent and less 

 woody than the stalks of plants sown in drills and more 

 exposed to light and air. 



