The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1855-01-19
AGRICULTURAL l..
Thoughts Upon Feeding With Hay and
Mixed Provender.

When hay and grain are plenty and cheap
We Yankees trouble ourselves very little
abou, the peculiar value OF their nu,ritiye
qualities. We push the hay into rack, and
pour the grain into the provender dish,
without caring about its peculiar properties,
or the comparative qualities oil the several
grains used. When the hay crop is cut
short, and grain comes at high price in
the market, then we begin to enquire into
the economy Of this or that kind Of feed
This enquiry, we grieve to say, is most
generally prompted more to save our eoppsrs
than from any inheren. desire to enligh'en
ourselves 10 the true philosophical qualities
of the feed we use. We care more for our
pockets than for our brains, in this par.
ticular.
A common observer, who feeds farm stock
any length Of time, will learn that almos,
every kind Of food given them will have pc,
culiar results. Take the different kinds oil
hay, for instance. That composed Of the
carer or Ssdgs grasses-brakes and polypods
from cur boz lands-given to cattle will ut.
ford but little Eattening materials or muscu.
lar matter, and will render them costive or
sluggish. Sheep, however, win live on il
better and longer than horned cattle. Now
feed with the joint rush, or gunbrisht, as it
IL called, (the E9uissium OF botanists, J
which may and generally does, grow in the
lower part Of the same bog, but where the
water stands in shoal, stagnant condition,
and you see almost The reverse result. The
muscles begin to I'LL ont the coat becomes
more lively and glossy, the bowels become
lax and the milk Of the cows increases in
Quantity.
Now, thors is no particular appearance Of
either to the eye, tha, viii lead Us to Judge
what would be the peculiar effects OF each
when fed to cattle. These effects are only
ascertained BY the experiment Of feeding
out, and why or wherefore such results
take place can only be certainly determined
BY careful chemical analysis.
We see some such difference in the re.
suits Of feeding cattle and horses with tho
different kiads OF upland hay. That made
from clover has different eject upon cat.
tie and horses from that made from some ol
the ordinary grasses, such rs red top, herds.
grass, &c. The clover being coarser and
more bulky. dis:ends the stomach more ful.
ly, and has more relaxing action on the
bowel, than that made from herdsgra,s, red
top. &C., pound for pouni.
Hay that contains "whits weed," ;" or "o1
eye daisy us some call il, has some such
action as clover. Now, farmers havs be.
come acquainted with the facts. without
knowing exactly the why or the wherefore
II this "why and wherefore" were truly
known, n good deal Of advantage might
oftentimes be obtained fror6 the know.
ledge.
For instance, Il circumsi ances compelled
you to feed your catle0n bog hay, and ysu
knew exactly what IL lacked in order to
enable IL to bring about the same results
that feeding on hedrssgrass OF clover hay
would, YOU might probably AID some other
material by which the desired res ult would
DO obtained.
This species Of knowledge is well illus.
trated by using the different kinds OF grain
ior proyender. An observing .iarmer found
that when no led his horse on oats only, his
muscles seemed to swell out, and be ws'
lively and strung. When he led him On