Dodge City times., 1884-04-24
Value OF Straw as Food and Manure.

A correspondent writes that he has a.
ways supposed that straw should be
used as bedding for animals. or to be
t~Odden down in the yard by the stock
for manure, and that this was TIE best
use to make of it. He thought feeding
il deprived the soil of its value, as man
ure, and besides, its value rs food was
hardly worth considering. But in GER
tiin articles advising its use as stock
food. he saw different est mate put on
il, and he wishes to know the best use
OF straw, considered as food, or food
and manure.
This is an important inquiry, and is
pot well understood by most feede :.
lie English method was very generally
t. use it rs 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 hall the
valu, of hay, and he thought the
manure made from it gu te as valuable
as the straw used as bedding. Some ni
tie other English farmers present coulf
not repress an in ,redulous sneer at this
propo al, saying they would as SOON
feed brush. and that the straw was
Great item in keeping up the hear. o
the soil. But we have no doubt thai
Mechi was quite correct, although h
was not able TO give the sc c.entltic
reasons for his practice.
Since then the dige$tibility of straw
has been tested carefully, and lis com
parative feeding value ascertained.
Wolff. the German eXperimenter, after
many trials and analyses. represents ii
as from one half to twO-thirds the value
OF acreage meadow hay in cattle-feed-
inc. He represents average meadow
hay as having feeding value OF 81
cents per 100 lbs, and on the SAM
cents; winter barley straw at 50 cents
summer bailey at II cents; oat ST aw
at 10 cents; average summer era
straw at 81 cents per 100 lbs. Tai
would make the average of straw worth
50 per cent. that of meadow hay. Sc
much for its feeding value.
Now, let us see what are the principal
elements in straw which give ii value as
IL feeding stuff. Take, for instance
winter wheat straw: Of the dgestible
elements 33.6 per cent. are carbO
hydrates composed of carton ana
water). only so of one per cent. o
that are. digestible, and
40 of fat All the rest is lndigestible,
and passes in the solid droppings. The
only element d gested valuable for man
IRE is :. 10 OF one per cent. ot albUmen-
oidS. This would amount to sixteen
pounds i'll a ton, or one pound OF nit
rogen, worth twenty cents. The carbo-
hydrateS and fat have no value as man
IRE. because composed wholly of carbon
and water. and plants can obtain al
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 q food without ma
terially leSseniny its value as manure.
1t is true that straw has one quality,
when applied to the whole state. not
and that is, its mechanical
effect Ii you plow straw into 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. ap
plied in the manure OF cattle that have
eaten it, and it is doubtful if an
farmer can afford to ploN
in straw unless he has more than he
can feed. rs it is worth, in large dis
tricts of this country, from four to
seven dollars per ton to feed, and this
would purchase much more value
manure to apply to the
soil. The manure from ton of straw
fed to cate would be worth abou.
s3. 40, at tue rate that commercial ma
nures are sold.
So Mechi was quite right when he
urged the economy of feeding straw
A ton of the best straw. is worth. at
east, ten dollars in food and manure
but, if merely applied as manure, coula
IN no case be worth half the sum.
OF coulse, straw is not a complete
food. and must always be fed with the
best clover hay, or with some very
food, such as oil cake o.
meal, wheat bran, oats, peas, etc. But
feeders should study how best to utilize |
every product of the farm. 1t is by
saving in all the little matters, so |
called, that farming can be made profit
able. If farmers would look carefully
about them. they would be quite sur
orised to find so many things thrown
away that they m ght t2En to profit
National Lire Stock Journal