Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-02-20

TIE FEEDING OF cATTLE-ADDEEss BY rEoF.
W. o. ATwATEE.

I'd to order lay President BucklIam and Col.
lie Grand Il. Cannon was chosen chairman
and DR. +. j. IIendee secretary. The prin
ripa feature Of the forenoon was an address
On stock feeding by Prof. W. O. Atwatcr /
Of Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT.
PROF. ArwATEE's Address.
After reference to the importance of the /
subject. Prof Atwater said that chemists /
had spared NJ time nor pains 10 get at the |
best way Of ic,Ging stock. In Europe there |
were two hundred chemists much of whose /
time was taken mp in the investigation of |
this matter As 4 result of all their time |
and labor and the unstinicd expcndture'of /
money 1t has come to he known that in gen. |
eral ali the different kinds of food contain /
essentially the same ingredients. Chemists |
have found ont what these are and what their |
effects are when fed-which of them make |
the butter. which the fat, etc. The organic !
elements of food consist principally of car
bon, oxygen. hydrogen and nitrogen. These
are united in various ways in the food.
Thus 100 pounds of green grass is composed
of 10 pounds of water, % OF organic matter
and of ash: potatoes, - pounds of water
"A of organic matter and of ash. The in
gradients of organic substances are albumin
ods. carbohydrates and fats. To feed stock
economically means to feed these in
such proportions as give the best result
at the least expense Albuminoids con-
tain carbon. oxygen. hydrogen and nitrogen.
CARBOHYDRATES contain carbon. oxygen
and hydrogen. Fats contain carbon. oxygen
and hydrogen The albuminoid or protein
compounds in plants are gluten and casein ;
in animals, fibrin and milk. Carbohydrates
in plants are sugar, starch, cellulose in
animal bodies, milk sugar. Fats in plants
are oils in animals milk and butter. In
nutrition albuminoids are Transformed into
muscle, gristlc and the curd OF milk fats
into fat meat and butter and milk sugar and
Jhev also serve for fuel. Carbohydrates serve
chiefly for fuel In feeding stock farmers
should exercise as much care as for instance
the manufacturer in estimating the produc-
ton of finished goods from the raw material.
1t costs Il great deal less TO keep cattle warm
by using the proper fucl-food than by batten
ing the walls When the cow is standing ill
the stable idle. giving no milk, she must be
fed, first. to keep her warm second, for the
supply of muscular force, and third to make
milk The question now arises. How shall
We mix the foods so as TO get the greatest
value ont of them? The value of fodder
materials depends generally on the amount
Of alhuminoids in them. Rich pasture grass
has four per cent of albumlnolds; meadow
hav, 0: potatoes, }; yellow corn, 10. or
the food eaten only II part is digested. TO
know the value of food we must first know
how much of it is digcs,ibc.
Prof. Atwater then spoke of one OF the
German experiment stations. The most
minute care is exercised there in every re-
spect The food given the cattle Is analysed
as carefully as if it were gold. The eXcre-
mems are carefully preserved, weighed and
analvzed. An OK is put in large iron case,
where all the air going in and coming out Is
measured and analysed every particle OF
food and excrement is weighed and analysed.
In short, all that goes in and comes out is
carefully noted. BY these means the chem
ist is enabled to calculate how much of the
food is digested and how much retained by
the animal in the form of albumnoids, fats,
etc.
In rich pasture grass there is A. per cent
of albuminoids, of which "a per cent are
digestcd average meadow hay, 10 and IA
per cent respectively oat straw, and la.
Earlier cut fodder is more valuable because
richer in albuminoids and more digestible.
In the earlier cut 60 or 20 pounds out of
every 100 are digestible, and in the latter cut
on 40 or IS Not only is old hay less digesti-
Bile, bat what IS digcstble is less rich in food
value
In answer to an inquiry the speaker sad
the best time to cut hay depends on the
amount YOU get, its value, and the condition
in which it leaves the ground for next years
crop. You get the largest amount of food
value if you cut the grass from the time 1t
begins to blossom until it is in full blossom
Don't postpone cutting beyond the latter
period Clover shonld he cut when most OF
the heads are out. Ii a second crop is to be
cut the first one should be cut somewhat
earlier Cut timothy when in full blossom,
hut before it is ripe. When the seeds come
it becomes woody.
One OF the audience said he left his second
crop of clover on the ground and it spoiled
the field, next season, the clover being almost
completely killed.
Another gentleman gave an experience di-
rectly the reverse.
Dr. IIendee suggested that timothy bios
somed at two or three different times.
Prof. G. Ii. Perkins said the main mass
| blossomed about simultaneously. The same
stalk could not blossom more than once.
Prof. Atwater continued: Clover has OF
oIhuniro;,Ia r>~r~rut; Wheat straw, IL /;
! timothy, Ia. In carbohydrates and fats the
gradatons were about the same. The
chemical inference was that clover and straw
mixed, would equal good hay in quality
The experiment had been tried in Germany
and Just as much and Just as good milk had
been obtained as from larger ration OF pure
clover. Our different food materials contain
the same list of ingredients, and you may
mix them as YOU please as long as you main
tain the proper proportion and make the
mixture palatablc Our straw ought TO be
utilized more than it is | was surprised
when in Europe. to see how much use
farmers there made Of straw. Our farmers
are making more use of cornstalks than
formerly, but these are not of themselves
particularly valuable What they lack must
he made M with other food. sewith them
cottonsecd and linseed meal. clover and hay.
The standard ration for 900 pounds live
weight is % of albuminoids, 1873 carbohy-
drales and 4 fats. One hundred pounds oil
young grass is almost exactly that. Bog hay
is lacking in albumnoids. But ~ pounds
of bog hay and 4 pounds of cotton seed meal
Just make the standard ration, with a Slight
excess of fats.
In answer 10 Il question Prof. Atwater
said that ration made up of corn meal,
barley meal and wheat shorts made good
food, but did moi possess the albuminoids that
cottonsrcd meal did. Prof. Atwater then
foods. After making deduction for the
amount retained in the animal and one-third
for waste. a ton of cottonsccd meal costing
about 80, in Burlington would give manure
equal to $50, rs compared with the CONNER
cial fertilizers. I.insced meal also makes cx-
ccllent food.
q. How would cotton and linsecd cake
make milk, as compared with Indian meal
and shorts:
A-Farmers generally tell me that there
is nothing better for butter than Indian meal
and nothing better for Il flow of milk than
shorts As to the quantity of both, cotton
seed meal will do much better than either
1t would be an immense saving to the farm
crs of Vermont were they to use more bran
and cottonseed and linseed, and with them
cornsialks and poor hay-thus getting good
food and good manure at very low rates
The meeting here adjourned 10 1;3O p. M.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
On reasscmbling in the afternoon Prof
Atwater took up the matter of theoretical IA
tions for cattle, and read number OF Tor
mule He also spoke of the value OF palm
meal and the sugar beet pulp after the JUICE
had been expressed. Coagulatcd blood and
the mcnhaden were extensively used rs fer
llllLcTS Nlioft, HONcNCI, III l-uiblc thih hi'(
hut they ought TO be used us fodder for cat
tie Some of the sea-coast farmers in fact,
do use the menhadtn in this way. and with
excellent results This is one of the thou
sand ways in which we ought to economlze
No chemist would advise farmers To follow
the formula read, strictly. Rut the best
farmers must pay some attention TO them.
| 1t is in this matter of stock feeding that the
economic spirit of New England is at fault
Again, more corn ought To he raised IN
New England and in Vermont Cornstalks
make most valuable fodder. Corn can he
raised very cheaply. a little stable manure
and the commercial fertilizers will give good
crops Of it. In answer 10 II question q 1t
is better to sow the fertilizer broadcast and
then harrow it in The roots spread about
in search of food and great damage is some
| times done by putting too much Of the Ter
| tilizcr in the hill the crop being thus largely
injured or completely destroyed, sometimes
The meeting then adjourned for the pur-
| NOS. of Visiting the stock farm of Col lie