Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1871-12-05
agricultural.
Farmers, Club--Paris.
Saturday ereniag. Nor. %. Is

STOCK.
Adna c. Cushman, of South Paris,
opened the discussion-thOught that the
value of corn as compared with hay, had
been set too high-should put ton of
good hay as equal to 20 bushels of corn
Cor stock; advocated corn-fodder. espe.
cially the sweet corn variety. eve did
not hear all of his remarks).
Ziba Thayer, of South Paris, was call.
ed upon. He said he had experimental
as to the relative value Of hay and corn,
and satisfied himself that most farmers
had erroneous ideas about them; many
thought that 10 bushels OF corn equalled
a ton of hay, and hardly any one would
set it higher than Is; he had been argu-
ing with them for years, being satisfied
that a ton of good hay was litle better
than 20 bushels of corn. He called two
tons of hay sufficient Tor the average OF
cows during the winter. and 20 pounds a
day. This would cost about twenty cents
day. lie had weighed out his hay and
measured his corn, and to iced half and
half. when he saw how small an amount
of meal there was, on the basis OF ten
bushels equalling ton Of hay, he came
10 the conclusion the proportion was
wrong; then he tried it at Is bushels,
didn't stop short of twenty. He had salts
fed all farmers who would look at the
quantity, and Judge for themselves, and
he produced the three measures with the
meal, for those present to see. After a
general examination. it seemed TO satiiy
all that his conclusions were correct. Mr..
Thayer said that when he was boy, lit
tie or no grain was given to stock by
farmers. When they had to go to Port
land TO market they would give the horse
mess of oats before starting and a mess
after returning. and that would do for the
year; that horse would eat little more
than COW through the winter He had
examined the Agricultural Reports Of
1865, and found that analyzation showed
that Ga pounds Of corn was equal TO a
hundred of good hay.
Col. SWEET thought that the public
were not SO much at fault in their judg
ment that ten bushels of corn equalled
ton of hay. for the hay analysed was the
first quality, and there was not one ton in
twenty, in our County, of that kind. Our
hayis not cut early enough. Heread an
analysis which had been sent him, as lol-
lows
100 pounds of good hay is equal to 275
lbs. corn fodder, $50 rye straw, $50 wheat
straw. los oat straw. $50 barley straw,
$50 pea vines, 200 buckwheat, POO lbs
raw potatoes, 175 cooked DO 500 lbs
turnips, 500 los. carrots. lOj wheat bran,
100 lbs. rye bran, 60 corn, go oats, IS
wheat, 81 rye. as peas or beans, GA buck
wheat.
Mr. Ziba Thayer still insisted that what
farmers call good hay is equal to % bush
els Of corn.
j. S. Hobbs said it was hard meeting
facts such as M Thayer had stated. sup
ported by demonstrations; he still thought
that his experiment Of wintering a COW
on ton of hay and ten bushels OF corn,
in as good shape as on two tons Of hay
worth something He thought hat a
mixture of iood-part hay and corn
might be better for stock. even If there
was not quite so much nutriment They
might thrive better on ii. Tor cattle would
grow thin and starve IT tied TO "a hay
NOW.
). L. Newell said We wanted to get al
facts. He had looked up statistics from
tables of analyzation in agricultural
books, and would give the following -
1900 lbs. of hay contain 1922 lbs. of
nutrition: 20 bus corn contain 1000 lbs.
1000 lbs. corn contain 1000, LOCO lbs,
bran contain 500, 50 bus. potatoes con-
tains 1852. 10 / bushels Of corn equal
ton of hay; Il bushels potatoes equal
ton Of hay; $3.50 lbs. of corn fodder
ton of hay 81 bus. oats equal 20 bus.
corn; 81 l-2 bus. wheat bran equal TO 80
bus. corn. He thought - bus corn, all
things considered, were equal to 4 ton Of
hay.
A. S. Thayer. in speaking of hay. said
il hay was cut at noon. when tie grass
was dry. and put into The barn in an hour
or two. while green. and pressed down.
and covered with straw. it would come
out well, and stock would relish j, better
than dry hay
The question being put IS to a ton OF
being equal TO 20 bushels of corn. all but
four voted in the affirmative.