Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1873-06-18

turcl Ia teacher which III Tlghiiy unuer-
stood never leads Us wrongl, that i, is
erronerous. aud that, ia fact, IL we would
secure the best results aud the most value
from the c. 'op in feeding. il should be cut
at much earlier stage Of lis growth.
How much earlier must necessarily be
determined in practice by :erersl cOndi-
tions, such as luxuriance of growth, wheth-
er one, two or three crops eau be
proftably cut IN a season, aud also
somewhat upon the season, as we'll as
the value Of the labor employed. Anal
ysis of tho plant having conclusively
proved that it really contained more nu-
iriment at a certain period Of its growth
than at any other period, it is at once as
sumed that il must OF necessity be worth
mere as food for cattle at that period than
at any other and / admit that ii the nu-
triment in it is equally draiiabie, or car be
appropriated TO as good advantage 10 the
use oflhc auimal system, the proposition
is true but We must take this latter con-
sidcration into account in order to reach
the truth. This is the very condiditIon
that is usually omitted. But how are We
to ascertain this fact know of no way
except by experiment. To be sure the
chemist may analyze the ofal, both liquid
and solid, that comes from an animal and
may be able to tell US exactly what cle-
ments of the foof; consumed have been ex.
tracted and used to build up the frame or
sustain the life of the animal, but he can.
not tell by any analytical test how eco
nomcally these elements have been ap-
propriated TO the various uses Of the ami
nal system. Let us suppose, for instance.
thas two specimens of hay of equal weight
are anaiyzed, and one is found to contain
ten per cent. more nutriment than the 9TH
er. Both are then fed to the same ami
NAL, and the offal is analysed, and it is
found that in its passage throug the ahi-
NAL, all the nutrimcnt has been extracted
from each specimen, it docs not follow as
sure thing, that the animal has been ben
e6ted teu per ceht more By the specimen
containing the greater amount Of nutri-
ment. On the contrary the chemically
poorer article may have proved Of most
advantage to the animal, on account Of
the greater case with which it is digested,
or in other words, the less amount Of vital
force required to appropriate the nutri-
ment TO the use OF the system. If we va.
ry our conditions somewhat and take into
account the fact that though the two spec
linens are chemically Of equal value, one
of them may be so combined as TO be
nearly perfectly digestiblc while the other
may be so combined as to be nearly indi.
gcsAble, large proportion Of the nutri-
ment contained in it passing off in an un-
digested state in the excrcment, we see
more clearly still the error we are liable
to fall into, if we depend alone upon an
analysis of food for the measure of its
economic value AS before stated careful
experiment must determine this point,
though the provisions of nature may give
US some strong hints.
1t must be remembered thatour domes-
tic animals are sustained during our long
winters in an artificial condition. In thea
natural state their forage is of a green,
tender, succuent nature, tho same with
which we supply them in the summer
while at pasture. Now | need not tell
any farmer that an animal will gain more
in frame or flesh, or that COW will give
more milk, while feeding upon a luxuran1
growth of young, tender. sweet grass, thar
when confined to diet of dry hay thai
was harvested after it had attained it,
growth. All know it 10 be a fact. AL
know that their cows give the most milk
and produce the most butter, that thei,
young animals make most rapid growth
and wear the glossieEt coats while they
are luxurating upon June feed Wer,
it otherwise, we might naturally conclude
that mistake had been made in nature
: by providing their food 10 this condition
} 1t seems reasonable, then, to conclude
: that the nearer in character and quality
: we can make our hay to young, tender
grass the better it will be. Could we
. without too great expense, cut and cur'
it for hay, when not moro than four tt
! six inches growth mad been attained, con
tinuing TO do so with each succcedin,
growth through the season, We should
, without question, have it in its most vau
able condition. But this is npracticable
it does involve too great expense. Th
question then is how near can We ap
proach this prof,aJly? This question
can be satisfactorily answered only b,
careful experiment. Such experiment
: have bee made and leg leave to refe
you TO some of the results, of which | hav,
5 been personally cognizant, and of whicl
many of YOU may have heard
Am.sa Scott, merchant Of Craftsbury
! owns small farm of some fifteen or twcn
Q ty acres including timber land, pasture
J &c. He formerly cut his hay at the us
Q ual time, say some time in July or th
9 first of August, and as he usually KEEP
: COWS to eat his fodder, he fed some mea
F, in connection with his hay, attaining
: about the same results that of ou
9 best farmers do. Some fifteen years az
: he commenced cutting his grass earlier
having become satisfied that ho had spoile
y some of the best COWS he ever had by feed
: ing meal, and correctly reasoning that b
d cutting his grass earlier he could dispens
n with, meal and still attain as good re
r suits at the pail. The result more tina
justified his conclusion, for he found tha
y his cows not only gave more milk, an
Q made more butter and Of better quality
s but they maintained higher conditio
both in flesh and health. This led hi
y to continue bis experiments, cutting b