The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-08-08
FEEDING VALUE OF y
Their Comparative Value as
Food for Cattle.

hill04A =
the character Of the crops. There
MAY be conditions under winch q
ton of meadow hay. worth IN mar
ket So. has IA higher feeding value
than a ton Of upland hay. worth IN
market SO.
Fodder crops are now classified
according To their ratio Of aibuml-
noids to carbohydrates. Animals
TO be fed are divided into two elias
ses-those at work and those at
rest. Animals that are beng tat
ted or that are giving milk are
classed as work ANIMALS. The tod
der tables published by Professor
Atwater, of the Connecticut EA-
periment Station, which are found
ed upon German experiments,
show that it is not good economy to
feed animals at rest with tood rlch
IN albuminoids; such food sho.ld
be saved for the work animals.
The results of a winters expert
ence with these tables may interest
some members Of the society. Ihe
summer of 1876 was very hot and
dry /; the hay crop and crops 1or
soiling were short. and when WIN
ter came there was very little IN the
barn. Whether to sell stock or
buy food was the question to be
answered. After Il careful study OF
the tables and Of the market prlce
of the different kinds of fodder, 1t
was decided to buy fodder. A
comparison of the tables with the
price-list showed that carbo-hy-
drates would be furnished ut much
lower rates In bog meadow and salt
marsh hay than IN good upland
hay. and that albumlnoids were
lowest in shorts and cotton-seed
meal. A carload of shorts was
bought at SIG per ton, and -four
tons of cotton-seed meal ut $50 pea
ton. Meadow hay was bought Il;
SO per ton, III stack Oh the mea
dow /; some fine salt hay ut ST.
some early-cut black grass at SIG.
For two months III Mulch COWS
we're fed Il mixture Of bog meadow,
salt hay and black grass, at an
average cost of ST. per ton; and our
dry COWS a mixture of bog meadow
and salt hay, at an average cost OF
$40 per ton. Cows that were Civ
ing from fifteen to eighteen quarts
Of milk a day were fed eight pounds
of shorts, six pounds of corn meal
and four pounds Of cotton-seed
meal each per day. Cows that
were giving less milk had a smaller
allowance of grain. The dry cows
had no grain or roots with their
$40 hay. | have never had COWS
give more milk than they gave on
that S12 hay, and the dry COWS
kept in good condition. Our horses
were fed the same hay. and did
well on it. Between two and three
months there Vas no upland hay in
the barn. Towards spring meadow
hay and good salt hay were scarce;
the roads were bad, and some baled
hay was bought; it was not first
quality, was Over-rIpe, and 1t did
no better than the other mixture,
though it cost more. Late in the
spring | was IN a neighbours barn
he had some riyer-meadow hay that
he asked So Il ton for, and some
elrly-cut upland hay that he asked
S25 for. He said 1.-The meadow
hay would do for dry stock, but
there was 40 milk IN it !; but the
upland hay would make milk"
told HIM | would take Il small load
Of the meadow hay. 1t weighed
LOO pounds; cost Sll.25. | fed
it from the wagon, and fed no other
hay while it lasted, which was last
II week. All the hay sixteen
COWS and three horses had for one
week was that l,5OO pounds OF
meadow hay, and they had all they
wanted Of that kind of hay. They
produced $50 worth of milk from
that sll.25 worth of hay and the
gram that was put with 1t. There
were three o. four dry COWS in the
barn at that time, but the COWS
that we're giving milk gave enough
to pay for all the hay and grain
that was eaten for the week BY al
the Stock-horseS and hens inclu-
ded.
The merit of meadow hay lies in
its bulky character, and in what
may be called It's standby capacity.
A daily ration Of twenty pounds OF
meadow hay will, | think, make
larger paunches and keep fuller
stomachs than thirty p unds OF
early-cut upland hay !: this is VIII,
1t is valuable to feed with large
quantitles Of grain, and to animals
al rest 1t does not take as much &c
keep them full.