Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1884-04-18
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
it 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
Mechi, 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 sneer at this
proposal, saying they would as soon
feed brush, and that the straw was
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 experimenter, 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 GA
cents per 100 lbs, and on the same
basis he fixes winter-wheat straw at 81
summer barley at "A cents; oat straw
at 45 cents average summer grain
straw at 81 cents per 100 lbs. This
would make the average of straw worth
80 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
a feeding stuff. Take, for instance,
winter wheat straw: of the digestible
clements 1915 per cent. are carbo.
hydrates composed of carbon and
water),. 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 $40 of one per cent. of albumen.
oids. This would amount to sixteen
pounds in n ton, or one pound OF nit.
rogcn, 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--i 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.
1t 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 heavy
soil, it makes it lighter, or moro
porous. This is, perhaps, the
most valuable Office performed by
straw in the soil. The real fertilizing
elements of straw are, substantially, ap-
piled in the manure of cattle that have
eaten it, and it is doubtful if an
economical farmer can afford to plow
in straw unless he has more than he
can feed, as 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 OF
commercial manure to apply to the
soil. The manure from q ton OF straw
fed to cattle would be worth about
S3.40, at the 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
least, ten dollars in food and manure,
but, il merely applied as manure, could
in no case be worth half the sum.
| OF course, straw is not complete
food. and must always be fed with the
best clover hay, or with some very
heterogeneous food. such as oil cake or
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
prised 10 find SO many things thrown
away that they might turn TO profit
AGIioaot Lfoe Stock Journal,