166 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  14,  1902. 
Feeding  Stuffs, 
This  is  the  subject  of  an  article  in  the  Journal  of  the 
Royal  Agricultural  Society,  and  although  it  has  been  almost 
thrashed  out  before,  there  appears  to  be  more  than  a  little 
left  for  present  discussion.  The  gist  of  the  whole  matter  lies 
in  the  values  given  to  the  different  constituents  of  the  foods, 
and  it  is  here  where  we  may  learn  valuable  lessons  as  to  what 
should  be  the  foods  we  buy.  The  three  chief  constituents 
of  foods  are  albuminoids  or  nitrogenous  foods,  oil,  and  carbo¬ 
hydrates.  The  last  are  starchy,  and  in  the  digestible  process 
sugary,  and,  therefore,  fat-forming  mediums.  Oil  is  also  fat¬ 
forming,  but  being  more  directly  assimilated  is  less  injurious 
to  the  constitution  in  proportion  to  the  fat  acquired.  The 
albuminoids  represent  the  lean  meat  portion  of  the  diet,  and 
these  are  the  most  important  to  young  and  growing  animals. 
Fat  and  carbo-hydrates  both  represent  heat,  and  when  the 
weather  is  cold  and  shelter  scanty  these  must  be  liberally 
supplied  to  all  kinds  of  stock  ;  but  for  growing  annuals  the 
albuminoids  are  the  most  important.  When  full  growth  is 
attained,  the  fattening  foods  may  usefully  be  increased  to 
the  utmost  digestible  capacity.  It  is  here  that  linseed  cake 
asserts  itself,  for  there  is  no  food  of  which  an  animal  can  con¬ 
sume  so  much  and  retain  health.  Wheat,  Barley,  or  Maize 
meals  are  fine  feeding  stuffs,  but  not  being  so  digestible  as 
cake  may  easily  be  overdone.  When  they  are  used  they 
should  be  strictly  limited  in  quantity,  and  increased  very 
gradually  ;  whilst  they  should  never  be  used  except  in  con¬ 
junction  with  linseed  cake.  This  rule  is  subject  to  one  other 
exception.  Meal  may  be  used  alone,  in  small  quantity,  to 
give  a  taste  to  a  ration  of  cut  straw  or  low  class  hay  which 
is  being  fed  to  poor  backward  drapes  or  bullocks  which  would 
not  pay  for  a  more  expensive  ration  until  they  get  into  a  more 
thriving  condition.  ,  ... 
Those  graziers  who  use  the  greatest  amount  of  foresight 
in  attempting  to  get  a  profit  on  their  grass,  buy  their  cattle  in 
late  autumn  or  early  winter,  when  markets  are  full.  They 
are  not  particular  as  to  condition.  A  good  bill  of  health  and 
a  low  price  are  indispensable.  The  animals’  heads  must  not 
before  grass  time  be  swollen,  metaphorically,  to  such  an 
extent  as  to  leave  no  room  for  profit.  Therefore  the  expense 
of  wintering  must  be  kept  low,  and  the  smallest  possible 
quantity  of  bought  food  be  used.  It  is  here  that  grain  meal 
is  so  useful,  because  such  a  small  quantity  suffices  to  give 
a  lick  to  any  coarse  food  which  may  be  available.  This,  of 
course,  only  applies  to  animals  of  mature  age  which  have  got 
into  low  condition.  The  starch  in  the  meal  moderately  used 
represents  the  cheapest  form  of  heat  production  for  the 
purpose.  If  you  have  cattle  in  an  improving  state,  that  is 
what  dealers  call  “fresh,”  they  will  pay  for  a  more  expensive 
diet,  as  well  ’ as  a  more  generous  one,  and  it  is  then  that 
you  will  have  the  greatest  need  for  care  in  the  choice  and 
proper  mixture  of  the  various  constituents.  As  the  ration 
is  increased,  we  must  keep  digestion  closely  in  view,  and 
the  increase  must  be  chiefly  in  the  most  digestible  portion. 
Therefore  the  grain  meals,  whether  they  be  of  Wheat,  Barley, 
or  Maize,  must  be  increased  in  very  slight  degree,  if  at  all, 
and  the  additions  to  the  cake  proportion  consist  principally 
of  linseed. 
There  is  one,  and  a  serious,  objection  to  the  lavish  use 
of  linseed  cake,  and  that  is,  that  although  it  is  a  most  useful, 
and  we  might  aj^o  say  indispensable,  food  for  stock,  it  is  a 
relatively  dear  one.  It  is  the  very  safety  and  reliability  of  it 
which  creates  a  strong  demand  and  a  more  or  less  artificial 
value.  But  there  are  other  alternatives  to  the  use  of  linseed 
cake.  A  very  large  number  of  farmers  have  -  a  strong 
prejudice  against  decorticated  cotton  cake,  because  it  is  very 
hard  and  difficult  to  break  ;  but  as  a  ton  of  decorticated 
cotton  is  as  good  as  a  ton  of  linseed  cake  as  a  food,  and 
superior  to  it  in  its  manurial  value,  these  farmers  are  stand¬ 
ing  in  their  own  light  when  they  allow  such  a  small  difficulty 
to  stand  in  the  way.  Manufacturers  have  essayed  to  conquer 
old  prejudices  by  putting  decorticated  cotton  meal  finely 
ground  on  the  market.  As  it  is,  or  rather  should  be  if  good, 
very  rich  in  oil,  it  is  most  suitable  to  give  to  either  growing 
or  feeding  stock,  and  a  small  quantity  would  be  an  excellent 
substitute  for  Maize,  Wheat,  or  Barley  meal  used  to  give  a 
taste  to  common  fodder.  Good  decorticated  cotton  cake  may 
contain  as  much  as  15  and  16  per  cent,  of  oil,  and  it  has  a 
decidedly  laxative  effect  on  the  bowels,  so  is  not  suitable  for 
consumption  on  grass,  but  as  part  of  a  combination  of  meals 
and  cakes  it  makes  a  very  efficient  substitute  for  the  linseed 
cake  which  costs  20s.  to  25s.  per  ton  more  money. 
Farmers  must  remember  that  it  is  the  hardest  kind  of 
decorticated  cake  which  contains  the  most  oil,  and  soft  cakes 
which  are  easy  to  break  may  be  of  far  less  value.  We  have 
made  extensive  use  of  decorticated  cake,  and  generally  put 
it  through  the  breaker  twice  even  for  cattle.  Decorticated 
meal  is  a  little  lower  in  price  than  the  cake,  and  also  saves 
the  labour  of  breaking  ;  but,  as  a  rule,  it  does  not  analyse 
so  well.  Perhaps  the  mill  is  useful  in  hiding  impurities.  It 
is  also  unsuitable  to  give  by  itself,  but  is  most  useful  to  mix 
with  cut  meat  or  chaff  for  cattle.  For  sheep  there  is  the 
objection  that  it  is  wasteful  in  windy  weather  unless  the  chaff 
or  chop  is  well  damped  before  the  meal  is  mixed  with  it.  If 
a  regular  supply  of  chaff  is  given  to  sheep,  an  equal  allow¬ 
ance  of  decorticated  cake  or  meal  and  malt  culms,  say  Jib  of 
each  per  head  per  day,  forms  the  best  addition  in  our  opinion 
for  use  in  the  Turnip  fold.  The  cost  is  moderate.  It  is  a 
good  food,  whilst  the  residual  value  is  the  highest  possible 
in  proportion  to  the  cost. 
As  soon  as  you  increase  vour  ration  of  concentrated  foods, 
a  proportion  of  linseed  cake  must  come  in,  and  for  heavy 
feeding  a  variety  in  combination  is  absolutely  necessary. 
Three  oounds  per  head  for  bullocks,  Jib  for  sheep  per  day  is 
as  much  as  should  be  given  of  any  one  food  for  winter  feeding. 
It  is  quite  different  when  stock  are  on  grass  in  summer,  when 
an  allowance  of  14lb  per  bullock  is  not  at  all  uncommon,  and 
often  most  profitable. 
Work  on  the  Home  Farm. 
There  will  be  no  harvest  on  the  20th,  which  was  the  date 
we  had  fixed.  If  the  present  cold  and  wet  weather  continues 
we  may  be  almost  in  September  before  we  begin.  On  two 
mornings  recently  there  was  something  very  like  a  frost  on  the 
grass  at  sunrise.  Cloudy  skies  and  cold  drizzling  rain  are 
excellent  for  the  aftermath  and  root  crops,  but  not  so  for  the 
com.  A  month  of  real  summer  is  badly  needed  now.  It  will 
be  a  thousand  pities  if  such  an  excellent  prospect  is  ruined  for 
want  of  sunshine. 
Wheat  stands  up  well  and  Oats  generally  also,  but  much 
Barley  has  been  laid  and  twisted  about  lately,  so  farmers  are 
wondering  how  the  binders  will  work.  It  is  some  time  since 
they  were  set  such  a  task.  As  a  fact,  this  is  the  first  severe 
test  to  which  some  of  the  newest  machines  have  been  put. 
Much  more  manual  labour  will  be  required  this  year,  and 
regular  Irish  visitors  are  being  invited  to  bring  others  with 
them.  As  the  Potato  harvest  will  follow  closely  after  the  com 
stacking,  there  is  the  more  inducement  for  Irishmen  to  come 
over. 
The  August  fairs  have  commenced,  and  so  far  they  have 
been  decidedly  slow.  Prices  are  fairly  high,  but  little  trade 
has  been  done.  Notwithstanding  the  plethora  of  keeping,  and 
the  prospect  for  roots,  there  are  more  sellers  than  buyers 
amongst  farmers.  Money  is  very  scarce  indeed  amongst  them 
at  present,  but  as  scon  as  thrashing  begins  we  expect  to  see 
a  boom  in  the  sheep  trade.  Lambs  from  24s.  to  34s.,  and 
gimmers  for  breeding  at  40s.  leave  plenty  of  room  for  profit 
at  Michaelmas.  Clover  are  a  fine  plant  if  the  crops  are  not 
smothering  them,  and  sheep  will  be  wanted  as  badly  next 
spring  as  in  the  autumn. 
Some  of  the  Turnips  require  another  skerrying  which  they 
will  have  at  the  first  dry  opportunity.  They  may  require  a 
little  more  weeding,  but  the  later  Turnips  have  been  singu¬ 
larly  free  from  weeds  tfiis~yea'i\  There  has  been  too  much  work 
of  that  kind  amongst  Mangolds  and  Swede's.  Both  crop  and 
weeds  grew  so  rapidly  after  the  striking  out  process  that-  the 
final  cleaning  has  been  difficult.  Piece-work  men  lost  by 
the  cleaning  everything  they  had  gained  by  the  hoeing,  and 
they  complain  that  they  have  not  made  day  wages.  They 
should  be  able  to  demand  a  good  harvest  month  to  make 
matters  straight.  We  are  having  the  saddler  and  his  men  to 
repair  the  gearing,  now  the  horses  are  taking  a  rest. 
