1921.] 



Notes on Feeding Stuffs for July. 



BG7 



NOTES ON FEEDING STUFFS 

 FOR JULY. 



E. T. Halnan, M.A., 

 Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. 



The dry conditions existing over the greater part of the 

 country have affected considerably the quantity and quality 

 of pasture available for cattle at grass, and milch herds 

 particularly will need a certain amount of cake if the milk 

 yield is to remain satisfactory. 



Barley and Barley By-products. — Barley, once a valued grain 

 for bread-making, is now used almost exclusively for brewing 

 and stock feeding. In regard to its protein constituents barley 

 occupies a position intermediate to oats and maize, has less 

 oil than either of these grains, and contains more starchy 

 material than oats. It forms quite a good feed for most stock, 

 although in Great Britain the greater part of the barley fed 

 is used for pig fattening. For putting finish on fattening pigs, 

 barley meal possesses a deservedly high reputation. In 

 California rolled barley forms a common food for horses, and 

 a mixture of oats and barley, sown in the proportion of one 

 part of barley to two of oats is an excellent concentrate for 

 milch cows. In feeding barley, particularly to fattening stock, 

 the most suitable fodder to use with advantage is lucerne, 

 sainfoin, or clover hay. 



In brew^ing, the chief by-products obtained are malt sprouts 

 (malt coombs) and brewers' grains. In obtaining the malt 

 used by the brewer, the grains are allowed to germinate 

 until the sprouts are well developed. The temperature is then 

 raised to kill the grains, which are then dried off. The 

 separated, dried, shrivelled sprouts are marketed as malt 

 coombs, the dried grains themselves forming the malt. Tliese 

 malted grains are then steeped in the brewing vats, and after 

 treatment, the residue left is called irct brewers grains, and 

 has a ready sale as feed for milch cows. In most cases, the 

 wet brewers' grains are dried off and sold in the dried con- 

 dition as brewers' grains. 



Dried Brewers' Grains. — I~)ricd brewers' grains form a some- 

 what bulky feed, and are not suitable for pig feeding. They 

 may be fed safely to dairy cattle, and may replace up to half 

 the usual oat ration for horses. 



