THE PIGEON PEA: CULTURE IX HAWAII. 17 
creasing cost of foods and the consequent advisability of utilizing 
many of the coarser stuffs that were once wasted; and also because 
the most rapid and efficient gains arc frequently made by bringing 
feeds to a uniform decree of fineness, particularly where several 
kinds are to be mixed to balance the ration and to give variety. 
Handling the feeds at feeding time as well as in storage is likewise 
greatly facilitated either by shredding or chaffing the roughage or 
converting the more concentrated portions to a coarse or fine meal. 
Now that refuse molasses is being used so commonly, it becomes prac- 
tically imperative that those feeds with which the molasses is to be 
mixed be reduced to as uniform-sized particles as possible. The 
above applies especially to the pigeon pea when the stems and pods 
are to be utilized. Unground peas are likely to pass undigested 
through the animals. 
The grinding of pigeon-pea hay does not differ materially from 
the process used in milling alfalfa hay and other cured fodders. 
However, it is desirable to cut the material into short lengths before 
it is placed in the hammer-throw mills for the final reduction to 
meal. If the recutting type of comminutor is used with a small 
screen, no preliminary cutting and no regrinding will be necessary. 
Grinding in a burr mill does not seem practical, and the use of the 
hammer-throw mill after a preliminary cutting apparently is the 
most efficient method. The cost' of milling by this process is esti- 
mated at between $3 and $5 per ton. 
A word of caution is in order concerning the woody and fibrous 
nature of the basal portions of the stalks of the mature pigeon pea. 
Rough or careless grinding leaves small, jagged splinters in the feed, 
and unless these are guarded against, the coarse, sharp-pointed ma- 
terial may cause irritation in the digestive tract of the animals. It 
would be a comparatively simple matter to sift all feed through a 
one-eighth inch mesh sieve to remove this objectionable material be- 
fore the feeds are used, either mixed or when fed alone, although the 
station has not heretofore resorted to such practice. 
Once the feeds are ground to a uniform fineness, it is an easy mat- 
ter to mix thoroughly the several ingredients. In the earlier experi- 
mental work at Haiku, mixing was done by hand. A tight, smooth 
floor 12 feet square is convenient for mixing 2 or 3 tons of ordinary 
feed. The finer and dustier meals, such as pigeon pea, are first 
spread out in a thin layer. The less dusty meals or "chops" are then 
spread in subsequent layers. The molasses is added last. This 
should not be diluted with water, as fermentation and excessive 
beating with consequent spoilage will result. However, the molasses, 
if especially thick', may be heated to the boiling point to advantage 
and then spread over the surface layer of feed by the aid of a 
