American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-04-17
Feeding Cut Fodder.

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Feeding Cut Fodder.
IT has been asserted by some farmers
who have been accustomed to fatten
meat cattle that the practice of feeding
meal separately from hay, cornstalks
and straw is just as satisfactory as to
minglc the meal with cut fodder before
feeding the stock. But humorous exper-
iments conducted with care by intelli-
gent farmers assure us that it will be
more economical every way to cut the
fodder, wet it and mingle the meal with
it prior to feeding the mass to animals of
any sort. The advantage will be more
apparent when feeding meat cattle than
when similar feed is given to horses or
mules. If the feed can be steamed the
advantage will be still greater. In addi-
tiOn to our own experience in regard to
this subject some recent experiments are
herewith reported by E. w. Stewart, of
the Liue-Stock Journal, who writes:
" During the last ten years have made
the following tests: Fed a COW that
had not eaten anything for sixteen
hours four quarts OF fine corn
meal, and killed her in fifteen minutes
after it was eaten and found none of
this meal in the first stomach, but all in
the fourth. Fed a steer under the same
conditions four quarts of shelled corn
and found it all in the fourth stomach.
Again, fed q three-year-Old heifer four
quarts of heavy oats, killed her immedi-
ately, and found the oats nearly all in
the fourth stomach. Made the same test
upon COW with soft corn in the ear and
found seven-eighths in the fourth stom-
ach and the balance in the first. Fed
four quarts of fine cornmeal mixed with
six quarts of cut hay to a steer, killed in
half an hour, and found all in the first
stomach. Fed, under same circum-
stances, six quarts of coarse bran and
found most of it in the first stomach
Fed shelled corn mixed with twice its
bulk of cut hay and found nearly all the
corn in the rumen or paunch. Fed
q seven-months' calf two quarts of
one-half in first stomach"
In order to understand more fully the
reason why meal should be mingled with
cut fodder before the cattle are fed,
those who feed cattle should be made
familiar with the physiological consti-
tuition of the animal we propose to feed.
Ruminants, such as neat cattle and
sheep, have a compound stomach, di-
vided into four compartments, each one
intended by nature for a special purpose
When grass, hay, OF other coarse food
is eaten by cattle it passes, after slight
mastication, down the esophagus into
the rumen, or first stomach. Here it
lies and macerates in mucus for a time,
constantly in motion by the contracting
and expanding peristaltic action of the
coats of the stomach, which softens and
prepares it for remastication and the
further work of digestion. From thence
the food passes into the second stomach,
or rccticulum, where it is formed
into balls or cuds, whence, by
spasmodic action, the balls pass up the
gullet into the mouth for remastication.
After being properly masticated the
esophagean canal to the third stomach,
or maniplus, where the food undergoes
an important change by being triturated
between the manifolds, grinding down
the vegetable fiber and preparing it for
the fourth, or true digesting stomach.
All these stomachs are certainly impor-
tant in the digestive process of the
ruminant. Food should, therefore, be
given in such form that it may be di-
rected to the first stomach, SO that it may
have the benefit of reconsideration. But
nature has provided that only coarse
herbaceous food, and fine food mixed
with this, shall go to the first stomach !;
for when grain, whole or ground. is
given alone, it goes to the fourth stom-
ach without the preliminary preparation
of the other stomachs. BY this
means the fourth stomach will be
SO greatly Overtaxed that it will not be
able to perform its functions, and, besides
endangering the health of the animal,
large percentage of food will be wasted.
Where cattle at the West are fed bounti-
fully on Indian corn, their droppings are
frequently covered with kernels of corn
apparently whole and probably not 10
per cent. of the nutriment extracted. If
this corn had gone to the first stomach,
been softened there and remasticated, it
could not possibly have passed the ami
NAL in such an entire state. 1t has fire.
quently been noticed that calves digest
corn better than grown animals. This
demonstrates conclusively that coarse,
bulky food only will go to the first stom-
ach, and that if it is desired to give the
more concentrated grains, either whole
or ground into meal, it must be COM
bined with bulk food, so as to be carried
along with it to the Eliminating stomach.
Hence it follows that every feeder who
consults the health of his animals or
economy in feeding will avoid using
grain alone as the food of cattle.-N. Y.
Herald.
A GOOD CAKE WHEN EGas ARE SCARCE
One pint of cream, one pint of sugar,
yOlks of three eggs, soda, if cream is
sour, and soda and cream of tartar If
cream is sweet; flavor to taste, flour
enough to form moderately stiff batter;
bake in a loaf if you want a plain cake,
or in layers if you want jelly cake or