The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1870-02-12
Cooking Food for Animals.
BY E. W. STEWART.

believing that experiment is the only
sure foundation of knowledge He first
tried the effect of boiling water upon
cut hay, letting it stand for an hour or
two, and this he found beneficial, as the
animals cat it cleaner and with a bet
ter relish. He then let it stand ten to
twentv-four hours and slightly ferment.
This was an additional improvement, as
it further softened and disentegrated
the fibre Of hay and straw But this
was not quite satisfactory, and he next
fastened wooden cover upon large
kettle, luted it with clay, and commenced
steaming. This was much more salts
factory, and was used, for want of a
better apparatus, four years; but the
difficulty of confirming the steam with
this cover led to its abandonment
Eight years ago he purchased wrought
iron boiler, which has worked to his
entire satisfaction, enabling him to cook
any quantity of food he desired.
After getting this new boiler into OPP
GRAFTON, we experimental upon two
fresh milch-cows in January They
were about 500 lbs live weight each,
cross Of the short-horn with common
stock. The two cows were each fed lG
lbs. per day-namely: 10 lbs. of hav,
! ID lbs. of oil-meal, l - lbs. of pea
meal, and lbs. of bran, well steamed.
The produce Of these cows was lbs.
each, per week, of butter, for two weeks
They were then put upon the same
quantity and quality of food uncooked,
and on the second week of this trial,
the quantity of butter was tested, and
found to be less than five pounds G lbs.
l3 ounces.) The cows appeared to lose
flesh The uncooked food was then
increased from 16 to ~ pounds in the
same proportions. On this the butter
increased to lbs. per week They
were then put back again upon cooked
food and were fed Is lbs per day-viz:
10 lbs. of hay, , lbs. of oil-meal, 3 lbs.
pea-meal, and lbs of bran. On the
second week of this trial they made 20
lbs Of butter or 10 lbs. each. We did
not weigh the milk, but it appeared, in
each case, to be in proportion to the
amount of butter 1t will be noted
here that an increase Of two pounds of
oi-meal, pea-meal and bran, per dav,
increase the butter two pounds per
week On further increasing the cooked
food it was not so greedilv eaten and
did not perceptiby increase the yield;
therefore, Is lbs of this mixture was
considered the limit Of profitable feed
ing. From these experiments, with
many others of similar nature, we
come to regard cooking asequivalent
to a saving of one third in the raw ma
terial of food
When fattening twenty steers of
about equal weight, and feeding each
ten steers three bushels of uncooked
corn-meal, which they consumed with a
good appettc-as an experiment, we
took one and one-half bushels of meal
and made it into thin pudding, then
stirring in six bushels of cut hay, cook
ing all together, and gave this each
day to ten steers for two weeks. the
steers seeming to be as well satisfied
and do as we'll as when fed three bushels
Of uncooked meal. This experiment
was IoullHucu lol dDOut lllIcc llOuluS
One ten steers being fed three bushels
of uncooked meal, and the other one
and a half bushels cooked. when they
were all sold to the same butcher, who
declared the ten fed on cooked meal
the best, and that they were better than
other steers he had purchased, which
had been fed as much meal per day
for eight months Here cooking the
meal doubled its fattening qualities
We are now feeding, with a variety
Of other stock, So small sheep, averag-
ing about 20 lbs. each, SO lbs. of straw,
p lbs. of hay, II lbs of corn-meal, 8
lbs. of oatmeal, and pounds of mid
dlings per day, cooked; and although
in poor condition when purchased in
December, are doing well, and will be
ready for the butcher in April Now,
the expense of this feed is 90 cents per
day, estimating the hay at $40 per ton,
the straw at SO per ton and the grain
at market price; while to feed them on
hay alone in the ordinary way, at , -
lbs. per head per day, would cost Si.3e.
showing gain of one third by cooking,
including grain over uncooked hav
alone. We have often found that ami
mails could be fattened on cooked food
including all the grain that can profta-
LILY be fed, as cheaply as the same ami
NAL could be fed upon uncooked hay
alone.
l have now fresh milch-cow, giving
IS quarts strained milk per day, fed on
8 lbs. hay, 8 lbs. straw, , lbs corn-meal
and 4 lbs. bran cooked costing %
cents per day, which is one eighth less
than it would cost to feed her upon %
lbs. of uncooked hay alone. Ali these
experiments were so satisfactory, as to
economy, to me, that | have cooked fer
all my animals, in winter, for the last
twelve years, consisting of from ten to
fifty-iiyc head Of cattle and horses.
In addition to our other experiments
upon this point, tried hay alone, by
feeding animals in the same stable
five upon l6 lbs. of cut and cooked hay
each, and five upon q lbs. each of the
same hay uncooked Those upon cooked
hay had every appearance of thriving
best. We then tried II lbs. of hav
and II lbs. of straw cooked, and found
the animals would not quite eat it all
but did better than those upon uncooked
hay; next on trial, 10. lbs of hay and
10 lbs. of straw, well steamed, were
found quite exual to "a pounds of hay
uncooked
Cooking also enables the feeder to
save all his refuse fodder Pea and
bean straw are readily eaten, when
harvested at the proper time and cut
and steamed, and are more nutritious
than other straw.