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human population. Cattle food and oats are imported to the value of 

 some J£70,000 per annum. They occupy considerable shipping space the 

 demands on which could be greatly reduced by the use of local foodstuffs. 



In the United Kingdom the use of oats and other grain for horses 

 has been forbidden by a Proclamation of His Majesty the King. With 

 the shortage of wheat, oats are required for human food. 



Apart from such general considerations the increased cost, due to the 

 war, forces all to give attention to economy. Oats which in 1913 were 

 11.85 per 100 lb. are now $4.00, (March, 1918) bran is now |3.G0 per 

 100 lb. in place of |1.65 ; imported oil meal 14.00 per 100 lb. as against 

 $2.34. To maintain the health and working efficiency of our stock at a 

 reasonable cost it is thus absolutely necessary to see whether greater use 

 cannot be made of local resources and particularly of materials which 

 the stock owner can produce for himself. One line of economy is to 

 use corn on the cob by grinding unshelled corn and supplementing it by 

 admixture of locally grown beans and peas. 



Mr. Claude Connell of Esperanza Estate has for some years practised 

 this with success. He grinds in a power mill approximately equal parts 

 of corn on cob and locally grown beans and peas and uses five parts of 

 this mixtm-e with one of imported stock feed. 



For iive months past the four animals at St. Clair Experiment Station 

 have also been fed with a mixed feed in which the propoi-tion of oats has 

 been gradually reduced as they become accustomed to the new mixture. 

 The corn and cob are both ground together the chief object in combining 

 the two being that the crushing of the grain makes it more readily 

 digestible and the cob gives the needed bulk and practically takes the 

 place of bran which it resembles in composition. 



Advantage is ta,ken of odd labour during showery weather for the 

 grinding which on a small scale for a few animals is effectively done by 

 means of a small $10 hand mill bought locally. A power mill is 

 expected to be soon in operation at the Government Farm, St. Joseph. 



The first alteration made in the feed at St. Clair was to substitute 

 200 lb. of corn on the cob for half the quantity of oats (160 lb.) and 

 one-third the quantity of bran (501b). Two months later the imported 

 foods Were still farther reduced to 80 lb. of oats and 251b. of bran by 

 the use of another 100 lb. of corn on cob. The mixture now used is half 

 bag of oats (80 lb.), three-quarter bag of bran (75 lb.) to three barrels of 

 corn (300 lb.) 



The average saving by using this mixture has been $7.45 per month 

 on the feed of four animals, allowing for the market value of the corn 

 although it was actually grown at the Station. 



The animals are to all appearance as healthy and efficient as when 

 oats was the principle food, and the Government Veterinary Surgeon 

 says that the supply of oats can be entirely dispensed with without 

 injury. This will be done next month. 



At the Government Farm, Tobago, Mr. Meaden has been experi- 

 menting with stookfeed made of 1 part of corn, 3 of cob and 1 of 

 sword bean and also in other prop ortions. 



