Practical Agriculture. 
513=247 
very pleasant flavour, not unlike that of good meadow hay. Enhanced 
nalyses of the chaff by Dr. Voelcker give this comparison : — ^'^'^^ °f stored 
Moisture 
Albuminous compoimds 
Mucilage, sugar and digestible fibre 
Woody fibre 
Mineral matter 
Fresh-cut CSiaCf. 
Same after being 
stored nearly 
Four Months. 
16-12 
12-01 
4-61 
4-17 
38-29 
45-19 
33-27 
31-10 
7-71 
7-53 
100-00 
100-00 
Thus, a considerable proportion of the crude woody fibre had 
;en rendered digestible. Treated in boiling water the change 
the assimilable condition of the chaff was shown thus : — 
Fresh-cut Chaff. 
Same after being 
stored nearly 
Four Months. 
16-12 
12-01 
12-84 
22-89 
Matters insoluble in water 
71-04 
G5-10 
100-00 
100-00 
Another method of preparing straw as food has been intro- Breaking 
iced, namely, that of mechanical trituration. Messrs. Ran- stiaw. 
imes, Sims, and Head, of Ipswich, and Messrs. R. Garrett and 
ms, of Leiston, manufacture machines which by a revolving 
um or abrading discs tear and rub harsh wheat-straw into 
ireds until the mass is soft, and in an admirable condition for 
nbibing the juices of pulped roots, or for absorbing linseed 
lup, or for being damped and sprinkled with meal. At 
resent, however, the practice of breaking straw, while adapted 
' Spain and other countries where the straw is of richer quality 
an in this kingdom, has probably not been adopted in England 
ccept by way of experiment. 
Early Maturity in Beef. — One of the best illustrations of Fatteningi 
le extending practice of getting off calves to the butcher at y^"*!'!'"? cattle, 
ss than two years old, is afforded by the experience of Mr. 
owman, of Halloughton, Coleshill, who rears and fattens calves 
1 covered yards. His system is thus described by himself : — 
" I keep 15 cows, fairly well-bred, nothing more ; and I use a pedigree 
11. My stock of calves is made up to 20 by buying iny neighbours'. The 
2 N 2 
