TTtiUmtion of Straw as Food for Stoch. 691 
junction with straw chaff, may be mentioned Mr. John Tread- 
well, of Upper Winchendon, Bucks, who several years ago made 
experiments, both in sheep feeding and giving malt to dairy 
cows, which decided him to make it form an ingredient in the 
dietary of all stock receiving artificial food, and especially in 
numerous instances on his farm whe7i straw chaff is largely 
employed. 
We now approach a very necessary part of the inquiry, as to 
how different kinds of straw have to be classified in regard to 
their respective feeding values. Science aids us, to a great 
extent, in determining the point, but not altogether, inasmuch as 
chemically the straw of leguminous crops is very superior in 
nutritive property to that of the cereals ; and this would be 
endorsed by experience, so far as pea straw is concerned, if the 
crop has been taken in good condition. In regard to bean straw, 
howevei’, the hard, sticky nature of the stalks would render them 
scarcely fit to be chaffed for animal-feeding unless me^-sures 
were taken to steam or otherwise cook or soften the chaff after- 
wards. There is a great difference in the value of bean straw 
tops, and the spent pods after the grain has been threshed out 
of them, compared with that of the lower parts of the stalks. 
The straw of seed vetches is objectionable from another cause. 
Owing to the lateness of the period of harvesting it is oiten far 
otherwise than sweet and tempting, and would be rejected by 
cattle if offered in its natural state ; but a resort to the same 
measures of chaffing and steaming would very materially alter 
this condition by making it palatable and wholesome. No 
treatment of straw can possibly add to it more nutritive property 
than it had before, but there are numerous instances of hard, 
sticky, indigestible straw, as well as damaged fodder of both hay 
and straw, containing considerable nutritive property utterly 
unfit to be utilised as food for stock until chopped fine and 
submitted to the purifying and cooking influences of steam. 
The late Dr. Voelcker placed the nutritive values of different 
sorts of straw in the following order : — (1) Pea straw; (2) Oat 
straw ; (3) Bean straw with the pods ; (4) Barley straw ; (5) Wheat 
straw ; (6) Bean straw without the pods. The quality of straw, 
however, very much depends on the degree of ripeness the crop 
had attained when cut, which will no doubt account for the 
estimates of all agricultural chemists not being in perfect agree- 
ment as to the respective nutritive properties of different kinds 
of straw. Experienced farmers are constantly in the habit of 
cutting both oat and wheat crops before they are dead ripe, 
when they intend the straw to be utilised as fodder, well know- 
ing that it would prove much moi’e valuable for that purpose 
