Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-06-18

No animals can do well for any great length
of time on any one article for food. The
natural condition of all our domesticated an
imals is to roam at large and make their own
selections from the abundant varieties which
nature has provided. We frequently speak
and write of the excellent feeding qualities of
one or another variety Of fodder, but in the
experience of feeding it will be found that
in the first change from one kind to another
We have an increase in milk although the
change may not always be in favor of the
most nutrition. new variety tempts the
appetite, and the extra quantity which the
animal consumes will more than compensate
for its less nutritious character 1t is gener-
ally said for q horse that is working in heavy
teams corn is preferable to oats, but for the
driving or riding horse oats are better than
corn. With this statement We disagree and
prefer mixture Oats produce more mus
Gle, corn more fat A horse fed Oh oats il
quicker i'll its motions and more FESTIVE, but
corn il steader and more endu,in hence
the benefit of a mixed feed.
Nowhere Is the advantage of a mixed feed
more apparent than III mich cows for, milk
being product that requires fair proportion
of all the elements required for the produc-
ton of an animal. it is evident that all the ell
ements will be necessary for making milk.
But sometimes We make a special effort to
produce an extra amount of butter then we
must feed an extra amount of food which
contains an excess of oil or fat We find if
We are feeding the best of hay if we add a
little meal W. do not increase the quantity of
milk SO much AS the quantity of butter. The
German chemists have for sometime been
teaching that to obtain The best results in
feeding We must have the supply Of carbo-
bydrates (fat and heat producers and albu-
mluods (fesh producers 30 evenly balanced
that ono shall consume the other i'll the ami
mai economy, though this cannot always be
practicable on account OF the different condi-
tons of the animals. One that is being fat
tened will consume IA larger portion of crbo-
Lydrates than of albuminoids, aud the latter
viii be found making richer the manure pile,
although food is furnished largely in excess
of fat producing material In growing ami
mails tsL and bone producers should be III
the sscendency, and in mich cows rs al
ready stated, the elements should be well
balanced. The evidence TINT no one produc-
ton of nature is all that is required in the un-
nal economy is furnished III the facts that
no one production is adapted to all the re-
quireThents Of the animals or all that is re-
quired from the animal
No person has any higher appreciation of
rye and corn fodder than the experienced
feeder. Yet We do not think that these fed
alone are equal to mixture. Rye is valua-
hle because it comes when il is desirable for
the COWS to have Il change, but there is a
wonderful difference between an addition of
few quarts of brewers grains and quart OF
bran, mixed, and pint of meal, in the pro
duction of milk, We are compelled to feed
rye alone because no other forage crop is
available or we would not do it. If We could
have a mixture of barley, oats and clover
with the rye We should have Il superior fod-
der. Pasture grass, or rather grasses, excel,
ton for ton, either rye, barley, oats, clover,
corn fodder or any like crops, because pas
lures yield combination of grasses, all vary
ing in their composition and in their time of
maturing but the difference is this that
we can obtain ton of any of the fodder
crops from less than one-tenth of the ground
required for the pasture grasses. Still it is
undesirable TO feed any one forage crop when
we could feed three or four mixed or alter
natey A mixture of grasses make a more
profitable hay than any one kind Glover
and peas are good feed to alternate with corn
fodder. Glover, which is rich in albuminoids,
will produce large quantity of milk, Sweet
corn fodder is rich IN sugar, starch and fat
and will add to the milk the butter and sugar
elements, and so on But we have said
enough TO illustrate our position as to mixed
feed being best for animals.-Am. CuitiUdtOr