St. Landry democrat., 1884-05-03
Value Of Straw as Food and Manure.

A correspondent writes that he has al
ways supposed that straw should be
used as bedding for animals, or to be
trodden down in the yard by the stock
for manure, and that this was the best
use to make of it. He thought feeding
1t deprived the soil of its value, as man
ure, and besides, its value as food was
hardly worth considering. But in GER
tain articles advising its use as stock
food, he saw different estimate put on
it, and he wishes to know the best use
of straw, considered as food, or food
and manure
This is an important inquiry, and is
not well understood by most feeders.
The English method was very generally
to use it as bedding, and to litter the
cattle yards. We remember the report
of some remarks of the late celebrated
Mech, at an English agricultural meet
ing, some twenty-five years ago, when
he strongly advised feeding all the
straw, as he had found it of half the
value of hay, and he thought the
manure made from it quite as valuable
as the straw used as bedding Some of
the other English farmers present could
not repress an incredulous sheer st this
proposal, saying they would as soon
feed brush. and that the straw was a
great item in keeping up the heart OF
the soil. But we have no doubt that
Mechi was quite correct, although he
was not able to give the scientific
reasons for his practice.
Since then the digestibilitY of straw
has been tested carefully, and its COM
paratiVe feeding value ascertained
Wolff, the German experimental, after
many trials and analyses, represents it
as from one-half to two-thirds the value
of acreage meadow hay in cattle-feed-
ing. He represents average meadow
hay as having feeding value of 81
cents per 100 lbs, and on the same
basis he fixes winter-wheat straw at 81
cents. winter-barley straw at 50 cents;
summer barley at A cents; oat straw
at 10 cents; average summer grain
straw at 81 cents per 100 lbs. This
would make the average of straw worth
go per cent that of meadow hay. So
much for its feeding value.
Now, let us see what are the principal
elements in straw which give it value as
q feeding stuff. Take, for instance,
winter wheat straw: of the digestible
elements 1915 per cent. are Carlo
hydrates composed of carbon and |
Water1, only $40 of one per cent. of |
albuminoids that are digestible, and |
4. 10 of fat. All the rest is indigestible, |
and passes in the solid droppings. The |
only element digested valuable for man
ure is s. 10 of one per cent. of albumen- /
ODDS. This would amount to sixteen |
pounds in a ton, or one pound of nit
rogen, worth twenty cents. The carbo- /
hydrates and fat have no value as man
ure, because composed wholly of carbon |
and water, and plants can obtain all /
the carbon needed from the atmosphere.
But carbon has an important value as
food--it keeps up animal heat, and
assists in laying on fat. This gives
straw its value as food without ma
terially lessening its value as manure.
It is true that straw has one quality,
when applied to the whole. state, not
mentioned, and that is, its mechanical
effect. II you ploW straw into a heavy
soil, it makes it lighter, or more
porous. This is, perhaps, the
most valuable Office performed by
straw in the soil. The real fertilizing
elements of straw are, substantially, APP
piled in the manure OF cattle that have
eaten it, and it is doubtful if an
farmer can afford to pillow
in straw unless he has more than he
can feed. as it is worth, in large dis
5ricts of this country, from four to
seven dollars per ton to feed, and this
would purchase much more value of
manure to apply to the
soil. The manure from ton of straw
led to cattle would be worth about
S3. 40, at the rate that commercial ma.
1ures are sold.
So Mech was quite right when he
Urged the economy of feeding straw.
4 ton of the best straw is worth. at
east, ten dollars in food and manure,
1ut, if merely applied as manure, could
n no case be worth half the sum-
OF coulse, straw is not a complete
God. and must always be fed with the
oest clover hay, or with some very
food, such as oil cake or
neal, wheat bran, oats, peas, etc. But
eedeIs should study how best to utilize
very product of the farm. It is by
aving in all the little matters, so
allied, that farming can be made profit
bile. II farmers would look carefully
bout them, they would be quite sur
rrised to find so many things thrown
way that they m ight turn to profit
lGttoaaGt Lire Stock Journal.
-ds-S-a ---
DIR. Biornstrom, superintendent of
lIIT9fie asylum Aft StneEh holm intro-