^go The Value of Lupins on Poor Light Land, [jan., 



animals which are fed with lupins, in Suffolk, are sheep. Rabbits and 

 hares bite them off, but do not eat them to any extent when green. 

 They are very fond of them when in the stack, however, and will visit 

 a stack regularly for the purpose of feeding. 



The safest plan when feeding lupins to sheep is to ensure that 

 lupins form only a portion of the diet, allowing the animals a 

 good feed of some other material daily, and that they do not 

 eat too many lupins at once. She ep cannot live satisfactorily 

 on lupins alone. 



Lupin Hay and Silage.— The writer is not aware of any case 

 in which lupins have been made into silage in this country, but 

 they seem very promising material for that purpose. It is, 

 however, hoped to investigate the matter. Kellner gives several 

 analyses of lupin silage and lupin hay. No case has been 

 observed by the writer, however, where hay has been made from 

 lupins in this country :^as already stated, lupins are dried with 

 some^difficulty. 



Removal of Poisonous f Properties.— Boodf" has described^a 

 method for removing the poisonous substance contained in 

 lupins. A vat is half- filled with lupins and water is then poured 

 in up to the brim, the whole being left to stand for 24 hours. 

 The lupins are then placed in another vat full of fresh water, 

 boiled for 3 hours and left to cool for 12 hours. They are again 

 removed to another vat containing fresh water, where they 

 remain for a further 12 hours, when they are crushed. Boodt 

 admits that this process is not very rapid, but points out that 

 it is necessary to proceed cautiously in order to avoid the 

 slightest trouble on feeding. After crushing, the lupins are 

 mixed with finely-chaffed oat-straw, and the mixture forms an 

 excellent food for cattle. 



In Schouwen lupin grain is stated to be fed to horses, with 

 the straw, without any soaking or other treatment. 



It occurs to the writer that if some method of soaking and 

 crushing such as that outlined above were found successful in 

 eliminating the poisonous properties of lupins, the resulting 

 product might very well be dried and placed on the market as a- 

 cooked crushed food, as is extensively done in the case of cooked 

 flaked maize. The matter is of considerable importance, for 

 lupins, if grown for seed for which a ready market existed, 

 might easily take the place on Ught land which beans occupy 

 on heavy land. They are easily grown, give excellent crops, 

 with Httle or no manure, and, on the light land for which they 

 are suited, exercise a marvellous effect upon the succeeding^crop. 



^ Loc. cii. 



