550 Cider Apples for Cattle Feeding. [dec, 



As has been said, the pomace rapidly changes by exposure to 

 air and becomes injurious for feeding purposes. The best way 

 to preserve it when in large quantities is by a system of ensilage 

 —that is, storing it in clamps or pits. Salt should be sprinkled 

 over it in a proportion of 2-3 per cent., and the silo covered with 

 a layer of straw and then by a thick layer of earth. Pomace 

 treated in this way furnishes a food richer weight for weight than 

 fresh pulp, and has been employed very successfully in Nor- 

 mandy. The fermentation which takes place in the silo effects 

 certain changes in its composition, and the proportion of water 

 is reduced while the nitrogenous and fatty matters are increased. 

 On one farm, before storing, the residue obtained from the cider 

 press received an addition of 44 lb. of salt and of 1 12 lb. of chaff 

 per ton of residue, and after storing in the silo for 40 to 50 days, 

 the silage thus obtained was used for feeding to cattle in con- 

 junction with other foods as follows : — ( 1) for draught cattle, 22 lb. 

 of silage, 4J lb. of oat or wheat chaff, 1 lb. of decorticated cotton- 

 cake ; (2) for store cattle, 17 J lb. of silage, lb. of chaff, 

 11 lb; of cooked potatoes, 2 lb. of cake ; (3) for fat cattle, 11 lb. 

 of silage, 6\ lb. of hay, 11 lb. of cooked potatoes, 11 lb. of roots, 

 and 3^ to \\ lb. of cake. 



The use of raw apples as a food for cattle is also recommended 

 in the article before referred to, particularly in view of the scarcity 

 of hay combined with the abundance of apples prevailing in some 

 parts of France. It is pointed out that where the crop of cider 

 upples is greater than can be profitably or conveniently dealt 

 with, the surplus may be usefully employed in this way. 



The proportion of water in the composition of the apple is 

 high, and in order to make a suitable food they require to be 

 mixed with dry fodder, chopped straw, chaff, or bran. They 

 should be cut into slices with a root cutter, in order to prevent 

 their being swallowed whole. The quantity given to cattle 

 should not exceed 26-33 lb. daily per head. Cooking the apples 

 is recommended, as it takes away the acidity of the fruit and 

 is said to give excellent results both for fattening and for milk 

 production. 



