THE MAGAZINE 
OF 
Tf)G mWOl OF SGHK^ULTUKG, 
COLOMBO. 
Added as a Supphment monthlij to the " TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST:' 
The following pages include the contents of the Magazine of the School of 
Affrtciiltnre for July : — 
Vol. v.] 
JULY, 1893. 
[No. 1. 
TREE LEAVES AND TWIGS AS CATTLE 
FODDER. 
UR attention has been called by 
the editor of the Cei/hn Inde- 
pendent, to a paper by M. 
Girard on the subject of tree 
leaves as fodder for cattle. 
Some months ago Piofessor Ramann of Ebers- 
wald drew attention to the feeding value of a 
special preparation of the twigs of trees. "The 
subject," says a correspondent of the Rural 
Canadian, " at least claims examination, especially 
as it has been tested by several practical farmers. 
Bear m mind that all plants, whether annual 
or perennial, are built up from the same im. 
mediate principles— woody fibre or cellulose, 
azote compounds, sugar and fatty matters. The 
proportion of these substances varies largely in 
plants and in the organs of plants, yet even 
in the divers parts of these organs, according 
to their age- As a rule the younger tlie plant 
the richer it will be in digestible alimentary 
matters. For purposes of reproduction, nature 
forms at certain epochs of the year, alimentary 
deposits in certain parts of the plant ; the grain 
has it.s depot of food in the infant shoot till 
it has leaves and roots to draw nutrition from 
the air and soil. In the case of trees at the 
fall of the leaves, there takes place in the 
branchettes or twigs an accumulation or store 
of nutriment, to assist the development of the 
early stage of the budding, and that becomes 
twigs in the course of the year. Professor 
Ramann prefers the twigs of the beech and birch, 
having a diameter between one quarter aud one- 
half of an inch. These as shown by analysis, 
have a richness equal to average hay, and very 
superior to tlie best straw; they yielded 10 per 
cent of starch. The professor subjects the twigs to 
two operations; first, crushing, but not pulveri- 
zation, and next fermenting the mass by adding 
one. per cent of malt and wetting Avith warm 
water : in the course of three days, following the 
weather, the temperature of the mass will have 
risen to between 140 and 158 degrees Fahr; the 
fermenting principle of the malt, diastate, trans- 
forms the starch into sugar. Finally, this twig 
paste is eaten with avidity by cattle, horses, and 
sheep ; it is digested with facility and in the 
excrements no undigested particles can be detected. 
Agriculturist Jena, of Coethen, mixes the prepara- 
tion with beets, potatoes, chopped liay, etc., 
commencing by small feeds ; in the course of 
five days the animals take to it. He gave it 
to 110 cattle, 17 horses, and many sheep, from 
10th February to 10th May at the rate per day, 
respectively, 16|, 6f , 1\ lbs. ; stock gained 41 ib., 
superior weight than when the best straw was 
the basis of the ration mixture ; the cost of 
the twigs, their preparation etc., is about 18 
cents per hundredweight. M. Jena has further 
tested the fermented twig-food on 20 horses, 
80 oxen, and 1,000 sheep, and finds it saved him 
in six months, ^500 for hay and straw. Several 
other German farmers are testing the novelty. 
It is well-known that in India the twigs of 
trees are used as fodder for cattle in times of 
drought. The green leaf of the palmyrah palm, 
for instance, is extensively used as such in times 
of scarcity. There is little doubt that if the 
leuves of many trees are subjected to some process 
wliich will result in their being rendered soft, 
and to some extent also palatable, cattle will 
readily eat them. The process of ensilage is 
known to render thistles and brackens fit for 
consumption by cattle. But tliere are no doubt 
many leguminous trees Avliose leaves will be 
eaten in the raw state, and the richness of the 
