Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1881-10-07
farmtr's Column.
SPEED THE PL0W."
Cooking Grain for Animal Food.

In our country, IN Wnlcn Mills are
not as numerous as in certain portions
of Europe, it has become frequent
practice to cook or steam the grain to
be fed to domestic animals, but especi-
ally to cattle and hogs, 1tmay, there
fore, be worth while to inquire, with
out any prejudice for or against, into
the advantages and disadvantages
Grain, if cooked, swells and absorbs a
large quantity of water, amounting,
according to the variety Of the grain,
from one and a half to three times its
own volume. Oats and beans absorb
the least, then come barley and wheat
next Indian corn, buckwheat and rye,
which latter absorbs the most, or from
two and a half to three times its own
volume; consequently the bulk Of the
grain is just that much increased. If
grain to be used for food is cooked,
the water not absorbed should be pour
ed off while yet hot, in order to pre-
vent the cooked grain from becoming
too slippery and sticky, and on that
account unpalatable to the animals.
Neither should the cooked grain be
stirred, But as the superfuous water
poured off has extracted nutriment
elements-sugar, for instance-it must
not be poured away, but be made use
of as food or drink.
Cooking has essentially the same eff
feet as soaking; it swells the grain,
breaks the epidermis, and serves to ia
cilitate the digestion, but does not Of
fer any ether advantages, neither does
it increase the nutriment qualities, ex-
cept in so far as it prevents all such
grain, as is otherwise not thoroughly
masticated, or not masticated at all, to
pass through the digestive canal I'M
digested. The disadvantages of cook
ing consists in the following: Cooked
grain contains a great deal of water,
is soft, does not call forth the full d.
gestive powers of the animal, and con-
sequently exercises relaxing infu-
ence upon the whole organism. It
favors the production of adipose tissue,
and causes the muscular fibre to be
come loose, soft and spongy. Steam
ing has similar or almost indentical
effect; only the grain steamed has alb
sorbed and contains less water than
the grain cooked.
Concerning horses, the cooking or
steaming of grain is not advisable, be-
cause horses as a rule, masticate and
insalivate their grain we'll enough,
consequently the saving produced by
cooking or steaming is very small, and
does not compensate for the loss Of
muscular strength and endurance
AS to cattle, grinding or crushing
of the grain to be fed is decidedly pre-
ferable to cooking or steaming, but in
regard to hogs, the latter Cooking or
steaming) probably offers equal ad-
vantages to an artificial preparation by
grinding or crushing. In the winter,
cooked or steamed food, provided it is
fed while yet warm, causes an addition
al saving by directly introducing some
heat into the animal organism, which
of course, is not lost, and does not re-
quire food to be produced. But on
the other hand, a saving of animal
heat effected in that way does not in
vigorate the system. According to
my own experience, everything else
being equal, an animal, even pig,
raised On ground food (grain) almost
invariably will do better, be stronger or
more vigorous, than one raised on
boiled or steamed food.--Cor. Chicago
Tribune.