The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1870-01-01
FARM IND HO USEHOLD.
Cooking Food for Cows.

"a Practical Farmer" gives his exper-
fence in cooking food for cows, in the
american Stock Journal:
Five years ago prepared steam box
directly over the boiler in my barn cellar,
made wooden cover to the boiler, fitting
it steam-tight, and through rubber tubes
conveyed the steam into perforated iron
pipe running the length of the steam box.
l then put my cut hay, straw, &C., into the
box, wetting it thoroughly as I put it in !;
if not thus wet the steam will dry it SO as
to destroy its nourishing qualities. After
filling the boiler with water and making
my connections box and cover steam tight,
lighted my fire and kept the water beiling
briskly for about four hours, when I found
the mass to be pretty thoroughly cooked,
and of such a nature that my cattle liked
it exceedingly well. BY adding liberal
supply of corn meal and shorts when filling
the box, you have mass resembling in
flavor a new-made loaf of brown bread, on
which the cattle do very well, though the
material cooked be of an inferior quality.
l pursued this course one winter, and
am now prepared to prove that l can make
more milk from a fair quality of meadow
hay thus prepared than can be made from
the best quality of upland hay fed dry
Add two quarts of meal to each days feed
per COW, before steaming it, and two quarts
per COW to the dry hay, and the advantages
are still more apparent. Inow have SIM
pier way of preparing my feed, and one
like quite as we'll.
1takc a large feed box, with tight cover,
and into this l put my feed, wetting each
layer with boiling water, shaking the hay
so as to have each part thoroughly wet.
then tramp it down solid as possible put
on another layer, and proceed as before till
my box is filled. For my stock of 80 head
l use 90 gallons of 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 80 gallons
more is poured evenly over the mass, the
box closed, and allowed to stand about 12
ened, SO as to 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 best
hay when fed dry.
l have kept my stock for three winters
last past, on poor hay and corn fodder thus
prepared, using meal not exceeding one
quart per day to each COW, when not giving
than when fed dry, and been able to keep
them looking quite as well as my neighbour s,
who think meadow hay almost worthless,
and steamng unnecessary.
About the middle of April last, having
used my poor hay, for which paid s13 per
ton, good hay being then worth $685.
commenced feeding very nice early cut hay
dry, to my mich cows, and to my surprise,
found that they decreased in their guam
tity of milk from one quarter to one third
and was not able to increase that quantity
till they went to grass, though doubled
their quantity of grain.
In conclusion, allow me to say that aside
from the extra work, / can winter 80 cows
on steamed feed for one-third less expense
than on dry; can get at least one-quarter
more milk, and keep them in as good thriv-
ing condition.
This decision is the result of five years
experience in steaming feed.