1921.] Notes on Feeding Stuffs for June. 207 



NOTES ON FEEDING STUFFS 

 FOR JUNE. 



E. T. Halnan, M.A., 



Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. 



Hints on the Storage of Cake. — On most farms the stocks of 

 cake bought for winter use will be almost exhausted, and it 

 may therefore be opportune to enumerate the chief points to 

 observe in order to keep cakes in good condition. The corner 

 of the shed used as a cake store should be dry and 

 well ventilated, and if possible should be provided with a 

 cement floor. In buying cakes the purchaser should see that 

 the cakes are dry and in clean wholesome condition. It is 

 generally a good investment to have cakes analysed. Cakes 

 that are at all mouldy or damp should be avoided at all costs. 

 In stacking the cakes, care should be taken to stack them so 

 that the air can circulate freely through the pile, in order 

 to avoid the possibility of damping and overheating. Cakes 

 that are properly stored in a dry, well ventilated shed, keep 

 sweet and wholesome for a long time, and the little extra 

 trouble and expense in providing a suitable shed for well 

 stacking the cakes is more than repaid by the absence of 

 feeding troubles. 



Oats and Oat By-products. — Oats are familiar to all farmers 

 as a stock feed and are especially valued for young and growing 

 stock. Oats form a palatable feed for horses, cows, cattle 

 and sheep. For horses, the oats are fed whole or clipped; for 

 cows and cattle and sheep, the oats are roughly crushed. With 

 the hulls removed, and finely ground, oats form an excellent 

 food for young calves and growing pigs. For poultry, the 

 oats are ground whole to a fine impalpable meal, which under 

 the name of Sussex ground oats is especially valued for 

 fattening poultry. 



In the manufacture of oatmeal for human consumption 

 several by-products arise w^hich are, perhaps, less familiar to 

 the stock feeder. The outside hull is first removed. The hulls 

 resemble chaff in composition, and have a very low feeding 

 value, but can be regarded as a suitable diluent for concentrated 

 feeding stuffs. The hulls, called " sids " in Scotland, form 

 from 20-40 per cent, by weight of the whole grain, and 

 hundreds of tons are produced annually and find a ready 

 market. In Scotland it is the usual practice for the miller 



