Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1867-09-12
THE EVENING STAR,
Meaning HAv.

MRssRs EpIroRs:-I will say that ss,eam.
ing feed for mich cows" Is success, so far as
making milk is concerned, using poor fodder
i will give my experience and let your readers
draw their own inferences.
Five years ago l prepared steam box
directly over the boiler in my barn cellar
made a wooden cover to the boiler, ting it
steam-tgh', through rubber tubes conveyed
the steam into perforated iron pipe running
the length OF the steam box. then put my cut
hay, straw, DC, into the box, wetting it thor
oRsnly as l put it in; If not thus wet the
steam will dry it so as to destroy its nourish-
ing qualities. After filling the boiler with
water snd making my connections, box and
cover steam tight. lighted my fire and kept
the water boiling sky for about four hours,
when found the mass TO be pretty thorough
IL cooked, and Of such a nature that my cat
tie liked ii exceedingly well. BY adding q
liberal supply Of corn meal and shorts when
fll the box, you have mass resembling in
Favor ew-made loaf of brown. bread, on
which the cattle do very well, though the
material cooked be of an inferior quality.
now prepared 10 prove that can make more
milk from fair quality of meadow hay thus
prepared, than can be made from Ihe best
quality OF upland hay fed dry. Add two
quarts of meal 10 each days feed per cow,
be ore steaming it, and two quarts per cow
TO the dry hay, and the advantages are still
more apparent. l now have a simpler way
OF preparing my feed, and one like quite as
we'll
take large feed box, with a tight cover
and into this put my feed. wettIng each la yer
with boiling water, shaking the hay so as TO
have each part thoroughly wet. then tramp
ii down solid as possible; put on another layer,
and proce ed as before till my box is filled
For my tCck OF Is head / use As gallons IF
boiling water IN mixing enough to last them
two days. The box should then be closed
while another boiler Of water is being heated,
when IS gallons more is poured evenly over
the mass, the box closed. and allowed to stand
about 1e hours before using. The feed is then
soften ed, so as 10 be easily digested and of
nearly the same flavor as when In its green
state and my cattle prefer even poor meadow
hay, thus prepared, to the English hay when
fed dry.
have kept my stock for three winters past
on poor hay and corn slower thus prepared,
using meal not exceedingly one quart per day
10 each cow, when not giving milk feeding
AZ lesst on e. Quarter less hay than when fed
dry, and been able to keep them looking quite
we'll as my neighbors, who think meadow
hay almost worthless and steaming unneces-
sary.
About the middle of April last, having used
nv poor bay, for which / paid SI3 per ton,
(EnEhsh hay being then worth $50 l COM
neIoed feeding very nice early cut English
hay. dry, to my milch cows, and TO my sur
prise, / found that they decreased in their
quantity OF milk from one-Guarter TO one
hind. and ! was not able to increase that
qualify till they went 10 grass. though doub-
led their quantity Of grain.
In conclusion, allow me to say that. aside
from the extrs work, can winter 90 cows on
steamed feed for one-thIrd less expense than
OF dry: can get ST least one quarter more milk,
and Keep them IN IS good thriving condition.
This decision Is The result of five year eX-
pFrier &c in steaRing food S. N. THOMPSON,
81 HtLbCro'- Mass. in Country Gentleman