122. BULLETIN OF THE BUSSEY INSTITUTION. 
in feeding out flax straw from which seed has been threshed. He 
finds that cattle can be wintered perfectly well, with very little addi- 
tion of other food, when permitted to have access to such straw; and 
he considers a rick of good flax straw, with the chaff mixed through it, 
worth more than‘a rick of prairie hay. His practice is to harvest the flax 
tolerably ripe, and thresh it two or three days after harvesting, while the 
straw is still bright and there is substance in the chaff. Since it is im- 
practicable to save all the seeds, some part of the fodder value of the 
straw and chaff must be credited to stray seeds that have been left in it. 
This last communication led to the following correspondence. <A 
Nebraska farmer wrote to the “ Weekly Tribune” (March 7, 1877) : 
“ T see an item comparing flax straw to prairie hay, to the disadvan- 
tage of the latter. While we know that stock will eat it with avidity, 
still the idea seems to prevail that it will not do to allow cows in calf, 
or mares in foal, free access to the straw, on the supposition that they 
will thereby lose the foetus they may carry. But for this notion, and 
the danger of such animals finding access to flax straw, many would 
use it where flax is grown, where it is now burned where threshed. 
Will some of those having experience enlighten us on this sub- 
ject?” In reply to this call, two Kansas farmers wrote as follows 
(“ Weekly Tribune,” April 4, 1877) : “ I would say that my experience, 
which has been considerable, convinces me that flax straw mixed with 
the chaff so far from being injurious to cattle or horses, is decidedly 
one of the best feeds to be had in the West. Cattle like it, and will 
eat it in preference to prairie hay; and, when the two are mixed, [ 
esteem one ton of flax straw as worth at least two tons of western 
hay. I have nine cows which, during the past winter, had free access 
to stacks of both flax and hay, and in each case they showed a decided 
preference for the flax. Each of these cows was with calf and all 
have done well. So far from casting the foetus prematurely, they have 
in four instances gone from four to five days over the time allotted. 
My cattle are all looking well, having soft skins, and glossy, oily hair, 
and are in every respect in better condition than on any previous 
spring when deprived of this food. My conclusion is that flax straw 
will not injure either cattle or horses under any circumstances, when 
properly admixed with prairie or other hay, though it is well known 
that the naked seed, given in excess, will effect serious damage and 
premature discharge of the foetus.” 
