Straw as Food for Stock. 
137 
obtained in this way, and by giving it to them in small quantities they eat it 
with as good an appetite as they would the best of hay. I feed my store 
beasts through the winter months with oat-straw and a small quantity of 
roots, and about 2 lbs. per head per day of either linseed-, cotton-, or rapo-cake. 
Occasionally, however, I employ corn instead of the latter, using the kind of 
artificial food I deem cheapest for the time being. After many years' expe- 
rience I can confidently pronounce this method of feeding a great improve- 
ment on the old-fashioned way of feeding on straw alone, as it adds very 
much to the manure, as well as to the growth and constitution of the animal. 
For fatteuiug-cattle I also find by experience it will answer an arable-land 
farmer better to feed with straw than hay. Mine get oat-straw, roots, cake, 
and corn, as their winter diet, and they obtain as much nourishment as their 
stomachs can take up at less cost than would be incurred in giving them hay. 
Were it not for sheep, I should never think of making hay on an arable farm. I 
feed my breeding ewes twice a day with barley-straw, until commencing 
lambing, when I give them hay. When the straw has been well harvested, 
and the sheep are in good condition, a great quantity will be devoured by 
them, and I prefer giving straw, and a larger supply of roots, than to depend 
so much on hay ; for if the latter is not sweet and good, I consider it to be 
the worst food a breeding ewe can be fed on." 
By cutting his oat-crops before they are fully ripe, Mr. Ford 
only carries out practically the teachings of science. Dr. Voelcker 
has repeatedly pointed out in this ' Journal ' how vastly the 
feeding value of straw may be heightened by the crop being cut 
before the juices of the stalks have all been converted into woody 
fibre by thorough ripening ; and whenever straw is made more 
generally an article of food farmers will be under the necessity 
of paying more attention to the early cutting of grain-crops. 
There is even a material difference between the composition of 
wheat-straw tolerably well ripened, and of the straw of wheat 
which has over-ripened. 
In Dr. Voelcker's exhaustive paper on the ' Composition and 
nutritive value of Straw,' in vol. xxii., first series, of this 'Journal,' 
the following analytical results are given of two samples of 
wheat-straw, the one fairly ripe, and the other over-ripe : — 
Water 
Oil 
Soluble proteine compounds .. 
Insoluble proteine compounds 
Gum, sugar, and extractive matter: 
Crude woody fibre 
Soluble mineral matters 
Insoluble mineral matters 
Ripe. 
Over-ripe. 
8-14 
9-17 
1-10 
•65 
•50 
•0G 
1-62 
2-06 
6-28 
3-4G 
79-31 
82-20 
1-99 
1-29 
1-06 
1-05 
100-00 
100-00 
To these may be added the subjoined valuable analyses of 
straw-chaff after being improved by the Crishall Grange process, 
