124 
Strom as Food for Stock. 
at Escrick. There we have only 220 acres of arable land of a light sandy 
nature, and about 430 acres of pasture. A large number of cattle are reared, 
and others purchased for feeding, in order to provide a sufficiency of manure 
to dress 30 acres of potatoes and 40 acres of mixed root-crops (mangolds 
and swedes), and a third of the mowing land annually. More than 100 
head of cattle, 400 sheep, and a large herd of pigs are kept; and by the 
aid of the chaff-cutter and pulper, with liberal purchases of artificial food, 
this large head of stock is maintained, and some 50 head of cattle fed for 
the butcher. The horned stock include a dairy of 20 cows. How best to 
economise straw for litter is a most important question at the present time, 
when wheat-straw sells readily at 4/. a ton. If we have boxes, then cut 
litter is decidedly economical. 1 do not like sparred floors. Cattle rub their 
hair off, and the skin hardens from the pressure. Care as to the drainage of 
stalls is very necessary, and a good deal may be done in the way of sub- 
stituting fern for straw. It is true that the former has very little manuring 
value, but, if well harvested, it forms a good absorbent for the liquid, and is 
especially useful as a foundation for the open folds. But, undoubtedly, the 
greatest economy consists in making the manure under cover, by which at least 
half the bedding is saved. The great objections are the heavy first outlay, and 
the fact that, unless great precaution is taken as to ventilation, store animals 
become somewhat tender, and lose their coats. 
"I am quite certain that by the proper use of chopped straw and pulped 
roots from one-third to one-fourth more cattle can be kept upon a given area of 
land. I don't know whether sheep could be increased so much, but ewes will 
cat with advantage a good deal of straw, and, so supplied, economise turnips. 
" My own practice as regards cattle is to cut the chaff and pulp daily, well 
mix, and distribute over the mixture a certain quantity of palm-nut meal, 
barley-meal, and Indian corn meal, or whatever ingredients are in use." 
But Mr. Coleman is an old advocate for economy in the 
employment of more straw and straw-chaff in feeding stock, 
as the back volumes of this Journal sufficiently show. At 
one of the Royal Agricultural Society's discussions, held on 
June 10th, 1863, introduced by him, he said : — 
" The point I would wish to draw your attention to is a more economical 
system of feeding sheep, so as to increase the returns and leave the land in 
better condition for corn. This result would, I believe, be effected by reducing 
the quantity of roots, and using more dry food, such as straw, in combina- 
tion with a small quantity of artificial food, which will act as a stimulus to 
digestion. It is calculated by Morton and others that a breeding ewe will 
consume one-fourth of its live weight of turnips, or 20 lbs. to 30 lbs. a day, of 
which nine-tenths is water. If we can reduce the roots one-half, and sub- 
stitute an equivalent in the form of straw and condimental food, at the same 
time attending to the external comfort of the animal, we shall have achieved 
a great point. From personal experience I am fully convinced that good 
straw may be economically substituted for hay in the winter feeding of sheep 
even without any artificial food, though the cost of the latter is so slight that 
it can be economically supplied." Mr. Coleman then entered into calcula- 
tions to show that by giving sheep partly straw-fodder and partly roots while 
feeding on the land, in the proportion of 1J- lb. of the former per head per day, 
the value of the manure left on the land would be increased by more than 
one-half. After attempting to prove that benefit would be derived by the 
animals also, he gave his opinion that by the addition of a little oilcake there 
would be a most material gain, and stated that he did not say this without 
experience. " Two years since," said he, " wishing to economise the roots, we 
