128 
Straw as Food for Stock. 
Mr. George Adams, of Pidwell Farm, Faringdon, not only 
supports the views enunciated above, as to the extravagance of 
hay-making and hay-consumption, but states decidedly that by 
giving it up and feeding on straw and artificial foods as substi- 
tutes for hay, ho has been enabled to double his stock of cattle 
and sheep. Mr. Adams says : — 
" In answer to yours, I keep 100 dairy-cows and 220 breeding Oxfordshire 
ewes, with the produce of the latter ; the ewe-lambs being kept for stock and 
the ram-lambs fed for sale. I could not possibly winter so much stock if it 
were not for the cutting of 50 acres of my best straw into chaff for the young 
and store animals, particularly as my land lies low, and treads very much. I 
reckon on yarding 250 beasts from Christmas up to 1st of May, and all the 
young and store stock live on wheat- oat- and barley-straw cut into chaff by 
steam. I grow from 30 to 35 acres of golden tankard mangolds each year, and 
pulp on an average 5 cart-loads each morning to mix with the straw-chaff ; 
and I have 100 gallons of good linseed-gruel thrown boiling hot over and 
mixed with the straw-chaff and pulp-mangold every morning ready for the 
night and next morning, and on Saturday I have a double quantity done to 
last till Monday. I find my young stock do far better than they did when 
living on hay at double the cost. The dairy-cows are fed the same till near 
calving. The boiling of the linseed and putting it into the chaff boiling hot 
causes the chaff to ferment, and the cattle eat it eagerly and do well. My 
ewes live on the same food, with two to three bushels of malt-dust mixed 
with it each morning, when they can be got near the feeding-shed. All my 
barren cows are fatted out on the same food, with 4 or 5 lbs. of cotton- and 
linseed-cake per day each ; and I find that my dairy-cows do not thrive so 
well after going to hay, with 4 lbs. of cake per day each after calving, as they 
did before, at one-half the cost, upon the straw mixture. I assure you, if it 
were not for cutting up all my oat- and barley-straw, and about 50 acres 
— which is one-half — of my wheat-straw, I could not keep more than half 
my present stock of cattle and sheep." 
Mr. George Street, the well-known sheep-breeder of Maulden, 
Beds, says : — 
" I am of opinion that straw might be economised, and that considerably 
more stock might be kept. It is the practice of many to spread barley-straw 
about the yards to be browsed over. This plan I think objectionable, as 
unless the yards are kept too thickly littered, a considerable portion is at 
once trodden into dung by the cattle and pigs. I prefer having plenty of 
cribs, filling them with straw twice a day, and, after it has been picked over, 
spreading the refuse for litter. The cattle are then supplied two or three 
times a day with chopped straw, and a portion of hay-chaff, cake, and meal; 
and if a few roots are added the animals will do very well without ha} r . 
I do not, however, advocate giving many roots, as it involves considerable 
expense in cartage, and, as a rule, sheep pay better than cattle. The barley- 
cavings and bean-straw are given to horses ; pea-straw to the flock of ewes, 
as it is likely to produce colic and inflammation if given to horses. 1 always 
give the horses a little hay when they come home from work before feeding 
them with chaff and corn, as they are in danger of eating ravenously, the 
chaff forming a stoppage and producing colic or "gripes." I am not sure 
that it is desirable that yards should be entirely covered, but it is necessary 
to have plenty of shelter-hovels, as not only do the cattle get on better, but 
much less litter is required. I think it would answer in many cases to sell 
hay, and buy cake, maize, locust-beans, barley, &c., to be ground and mixed 
