Tlic Proper Office of Straw on a Farm. 161 
already seen that when kept warm they require less carbon- 
aceous lood. 
Straw is not sufficiently digestible and nutritious to be a 
desirable addition to the food of young animals. 
Having thus pointed out the known value of straw as an 
article of food, I now leave it to tlie reader to decide whether in 
his own particular case he cannot profitably convert more of it 
into meat. 
Composition of Wheat-straw, air-dried. From Morton's ' Cyclopaedia.' 
Nitvogenized, or muscle-producing sulistances 1*85 
Substances free from nitrogen, lieat and fat producing substances 26 "34 
Insoluble substances 41*22 
Mineral substances 4-59 
Water 26-00 
100-00 
Barley-straw. From Morton's ' Cyclopaedia.' 
Nitrogcnized substances 1-70 
I'ree from nitrogen, soluble and insoluble .. .. 82-12 
Mineral 5-24 
Water 10'94 
100-00 
Oat-straw. By Boussingault. 
Nitrogenized 1-8 
Non-nitrogenized, soluble 22-1 
Ditto insoluble 43-8 
Mineral 3-6 
Water 28-7 
100-00 
Fea-straw. By Boussingault. 
Nitrogenized 12-55 
Non-nitrogenized, soluble 21-93 
Ditto insoluble 47-52 
Mineral 6-00 
Water 12-00 
100-00 
Bean-straw. By Way, ' Eoyal Agricultural Society's Journal.' 
Moisture 14-47 
Albuminous matter 16-38 
Oil or fatty matter 2*23 
Woody fibre 25-84 
Starch, gum, &c 31-63 
Mineral .. .. 9-45 
100-00 
YOL. XXI. M 
