ieedinsr. 
510 = 244 Practical Agriculture. 
tries to convert his straw into manure which deserves the name withe 
serious loss. 
" I have 15 two-year-old steers feedincr, ) •.■< .\ ■ „ 
„c .,, J . °' (These with their manure 
25 milkino; and m-calf cows, > t- i j 
2 bulls ' j are entirely under cover. 
6 two-year-old heifers, )In small yards, shedding 
15 yeariings, ) spouted. 
" These 63 animals consume daily as follows: — 
" As much steamed chaff, one-fourth hay, three-fourths straw, as they will ft 
£ s. d. 
4 bushels of Indian corn, costing 0 14 0 
Ij cwt. decorticated cotton-cake 0 12 6 
1 cwt. bran 0 5 6 
1 cwt. malt-dust 0 5 6 i 
i bughel Black Sea linseed (boiled) .. .. 0 4 6 
I ■, 
I 
£2 2 0 per day 
for purchased food only. Now this cannot pay in the shape of a direct mom f 
return, and can only be excused by estimating highly the value of the maou f 
— an estimate which will be fallacious or otherwise in proportion to the I'Xte 
to which the manure is protected from rain. If it be made in large open yan 
with the surrounding buildings unspouted, the loss is certain ; ia small yarc 
where the open space is not — and it should never be — more than as five to t» 
of the spouted shedding, it is questionable; but in covered yards the costj 
food may be recovered, while only one-half of the litter is necessary, th'| 
economising straw and carting ; for it is obvious that a much smaller quantil 
per acre of this concentrated and unwashed manure will be required for ai 
crop. The cattle, too, so protected, will give a greater interest for the foi 
consumed. ' { 
" It will frequently happen that by rigid economy in the use of hay — t 
most expensive food, looking at its selling value, that a farmer can give to h 
cattle — he may be able to sell some to cover in part the cost of purchas 
food." 
Droughts, with general failure of root crops, have effectual' 
taught farmers how to be for a season, at least, comparative 
independent of turnips in their winter beef-making ; and catt 
are found to do well upon cut hay and straw' chaff, wettt 
with linseed or other slop, thrown scalding hot upon the cha 
or even with bean and pea-meal sprinkled upon damped chaff. 
Straw fur Of late years much greater attention has been paid 
utilising a larger proportion of straw for feeding rather th; 
mere manure making. The quality of straw varies much, 
course, according to the nature and condition of the soil ( 
which it is grown, and still more from the way in which it 
harvested. But when cut comparatively green, and careful 
managed, many kinds of straw are exceedingly nutritious. Oa 
straw, for instance, when cut green, has H)"() per cent, of sugf 
gum, and mucilage ; when fairly ripe, 12"0 per cent. ; wh(, 
over ripe, only 4*() per cent. Of digestible woody-fibre, it h| 
35*0 per cent, when fairly ripe. This is the proportion 
I 
