PRACTICAL PAPERS—USE OF STRAW. 315 
meadow, where the benefits of it as a top-dressing will be man¬ 
ifest in heavier crops of hay for years after. It is also the 
right material with which to mnlch fruit trees and shrubbery, 
and it is at this season of the year when this work should be 
done. 
In mild weather the straw can be drawn right from the stack 
and spread upon the grain field, meadow or old pasture which 
it is desired to mulch, and the stock be turned on to pick it 
over as before. What they leave, with their droppings, will 
be right where needed, and by using a little care in spreading 
in the spring will greatly benefit the next season’s crop. 
Ail the manure left in the yard should be hauled out upon 
the corn ground in early spring, and plowed in. By following 
out this plan each year’s growth of straw will contribute to 
the next season’s-crop instead of being borne away by the 
winds or remaining an incumbrance upon the land where it is 
permitted to lie year after year and rot. 
Where it is desirable to keep a large number of cattle on 
the same amount of food, a simple cutting machine may be 
used. This will not only save one-third of the food, but if 
properly used will carry the stock through in a better condi¬ 
tion. Many have been driven to their use at first, by a scarcity 
of fodder, but having,tried them, held on to them as a matter 
of economy and profit. I have used one more or less for over 
fifty years. There are many kinds in use, but I prefer one 
that will cut corn stalks, ears and all, and can be run by horse 
or hand power. It is much less work to cut feed, even by 
hand, than many imagine, and it can be done at leisure times, / 
or when the weather will not admit of out-door work, and be 
packed away for future use. Straw and coarse fodder will re¬ 
quire much less space for storing after they are cut than before, 
and in some parts of Europe it is cut as soon as the pres¬ 
sure of work will permit, and packed into mows to keep it in 
better condition and have it ready for use at all times. 
Bran, shorts, rye, corn or oat meal either mixed or separate, 
may be fed with the cut straw in quantities varying according 
to the purposes for which they are needed. For milch cows, bran, 
