The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1870-12-27
Feeding Apples--Experiment III Feed
ing Sour Apples.

In the Rura New- Worker of Foyem.
Der 9th, you invite discussion of the feed
ing qualities of apples. OF the value of
sweet apples for stock, there seems to be
very general agreement, and the opin-
ion is also as decided and universal that
sour apples are worthless for fattening
stock, and absolutely detrimental to mich
cows OF this have always doubted !;
so, prices favoring, early planned and
entered on as full an experiment as my
stock allowed.
My crop of apples consisted Of about
fifty barrels of Greetings, and one-half
as many more Of second quality, besides
4 few trees to make variety for family
use, worth at current prices, $40 or $50
net.
My stock consisted of two horses, that
had the range Of part Of the orchard, from
early till the close Of the experiment No
vember 10, without grain, and with oc-
casional work The result is a good,
solid condition Of flesh and ability to en-
dure hard labor (as since proved that |
could not have attained ON grain less than
SIS.
Two large breeding sows had the same
range Of part Of the orchard as the horses
until about October -, when their pigs
were about one week old, and were sold.
They kept in as good condition as | could
have expected them to have done on from
So to SO worth Of grain.
Three spring pigs also were fed in the
pen almost entirely upon apples till De-
tober ID, when | killed one that had be-
come quiet heshy The meat was firm
and Of excellent quality. | estimate the
saving of grain on the pigs to be about
SO.
also had one old, poor, lame, dry COW
supposed to be worth, August IL, S25 /;
but | offered to take all the way from that
to so for her. | commenced feeding her
with one quart of meal and all the ripe,
mellow apples she could eat, changing the
variety to tempt her appetite Up to
November 10, when killed her, she had
eaten only three bushels of meal. took
fifty pounds Of rough tallow from her
and her flesh was fat and was worth at
market rates, $50. call the apples a
decided success with her--worth, from
SIS to $50.
But the great experiment was with my
mich COW everybody said | would dry
her up. So, to make a sure thing Of it
from the lst day to the last, | selected
the hardest, sourest apples | could find
and fed her half IA bushel daily. The re
suit is that with poor pasturage and nj
other feed than the apples, she became
Aeshy, and increased her milk full half
From October !, to November 10, hel
flow of milk was two-thirds as much as oil
good June feed
/ have delayed writing out this expert
ment in order to put the COW to anothe
test as to apples. November 10 | com
menced feeding her all the corn stalks sh
would eat, with six quarts Of sliced tur
nips and three quarts Of very rich buck
wheat shorts, daily, and she fell away il
one week one-balf her flow of milk.
week ago, November %, when write,
changed the turnips and shorts to hal
bushel of apples daily, and the result j
much better flow of milk. put tn
gain on her in flesh and milk, due to tn
apples, at from s. to So
/ sold six barrels of apples to neigh
Dor for six dollars made three barrel
of cider and boiled it down for cookin