Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-08-20
THE GAZETTE.
For THE ALEXANDRIA GAZETTE
ApricultuFal.
T17EsDAYEvENING, AUGUST %.

A&flCuAtuASsAs
The following article clipped from the pub
Eshca proceedings of the New York Farmers
Cmb commends itself to the special attention
of every farmer in. Virginia. The long con-
tinued drought has almost entirely ruined the
hay crop, and the only substitute isstaw, stock
corn stalks, and turnips Good wheat straw
this season is worth from Sl5 to $50 ton,
and every pound should be carefully stacked
or mt into tames and shces. No farm is COM
Dlete without frst-cass straw cutter; one
large enough to cut corn stalks hne as well as
straw. Thus provided with good machine,
and by following the directions given below'our
farmers will have fat cattle in the Spring 10
stead of raw-bones and stub-tails. PROGRESS:
Feed for Stock-Eastern and Southern
farms suffer for want of richer manure, Whlcn
can only be made by feeding more cattle. East,
ern markets are In state of chronic want or
meat and their demands are not nearly sup
nlied by Western stock raisers. Besides, the
quality of Western beef generally is not up to
the standard required for great bulk OF the
Eastern consumers. The way out OF the dlttl-
culty, felt by both farmers and meat consumers
in the Eastern States lies, IN great measure
if not wholly, through better use OF straw.
Straw itself cannot be relied upon as fodder
for cattle, and yet such bulky and compare.
lively ipnutritious food is demanded to great
extent by stock When used in conjunction with
Western corn the whole need Of the case is met.
Let Eastern and Southern farmers as soon as
NAV be provide stock to consume all their coarse
nroducts straw, pea hanlin, bean hanlln corn
stalks, and as many roots as they can possibly
raise, and purchase corn to feed with 1t to FUR
Dish the nutritious matter, which needs large
amount of bulky matter to be fed with it to
make it most completely digestible. \ tun OF
straw fed with third of tun Of corn meal and
tun of roots, would make a combined feed
which could be used very proftably for tatten-
ing cattle. A daily ration of 80 pounds OF straw,
SO pounds of ROOTS and OpouDds OF corn meal,
or oil or cotton seed meal, would soon bring an
ordinary steer into market condition. For heaV-
Ter or grade shorthorn stock the proportion OF
roots and meal could very well be Increased but
still the heaviest feeders would tatten readily on
this mixed diet. At the same time the farm
the manure made by this purchased food. The
nitrogen contained in the articles named Is
mainly left in the manure and would become
most valuable acquisition to the soil and would
soon help to produce largely increased crops of
grain and coarse feed. Cattle SO fed within
500 miles Of the great Atlantic cities could be
put into market quite groftably in competition
with Western fed Stock, and by their superior
quality of beef you'd help to enlarge the ability
to sustain the competition. We do not need to
have6ur cattle fed on the plains of Texas alto
..gether; there arc hundreds of farms within 100
miles OF the eastern coast on which stock could
be raised and fatted for market in every way
proftably. 1t is done in other countries, and
if our farmers will but follow foreign methods,
it may be done here; and Of those methods the
primary one Is to feed every tun of coarse tod
der raised and to buy concentrated food to use
with it, with the double purpose We have point
ed out.