The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-09-25
A SEPTEMBER FARM TALK.
cATTLe's CHEAPEST AND BEST FOOD.
Experiments Made and Results Demon
strated-The Farmers Lamsnt-Datry
Hints-GOod peach Recipes-HOw to
Cook PotatOes-Farm Notes.

Corn is considered the cheapest food
that can be fed. but it is doubtful If corn
is profitable if the value OF the cornfodder
be taken from the crop. Farmers, how
ever, have firm faith in the advantage OF
corn as a weight-producer, and as long as
corn is a staple crop it will hold a place In
the farmers estimation. But the value OF
any kind of grain does not depend upon
its cost. nor upon the advantages OF feed
ing it with facility, but upon the product
derived from its use. SO many expert
ments have been recently made with
view of determining the relative gain
from the use of heterogeneous and carbona-
ceous foods that the results of test with
lambs by Prof Roberts will throw light on
the matter, and probably point out some
of the mistakes that are occasionally made.
Four lots of lambs, ordinary grades,
were fed by Prof. Roberts. to determine
the cost and ratio of increase, from differ
ent foods, not only OF the carcass but OF
the wool also. From November to April
five months-the lambs were given
quite variety. The four lots contained
three lambs each. One lot was fed on a
carbonaceous diet, having all the whole
corn and timothy hay they could eat, with
half pound of roots each, the estimated
cost of the food being $40. Another lot
was given food of a heterogeneous character,
consisting of 233 pounds bran, 1O6 pounds
cOtton-seed meal. 3l2 pounds clover and
100 pounds roots, the cost being S4.66.
The other lots were fed on mixed nitro
9enous foods, for comparison with the first
two lots. A remarkable result was that
the lambs fed on nitrogenous foods drank
much more water than the others, nearly
four times as much. While the cost of
the carbonaceous food was $50, less than
that of the food of the other lot (S4.66.)
the gain from the carbonaceous food in
tie five months was 1875 pounds, the
gain from the heterogeneous foods 77.31
pounds, the cost of the gain from the car
bonaceous food $3.50, and the cost of the
gain from the nitrogenous food S6.03. The
increase of wool was also in favor of the
heterogeneous food, the first lot shearing
4.25 pounds and the second 7.3l pounds,
or an increase OF y per cent. in favor of
the heterogeneous foods.
1t may be noticed that though the car
bonaceous food (corn, timothy and roots
cost but $50, the cost Of the gain in
weight from such food was $3.50, as the
lambs so fed only gained 1915 pounds,
and that though the heterogeneous food
(bran, cottOn-seed meat, clover hay and
roots) cost S3.66, the cost of the gain was
only S605, as they gained 77.3I pounds in
weight. The experiment showed that
though the carbonaceous food could be
procured in the market for less than the
nitrOgenOus food. vet il costs more than
cent and hall pound to put a pound OF
gain on lambs tina: are fed on the carbon
aceOus food than with the use OF the nj
trogenous. Still another factor enters for
comparison. . The manurial value OF the
heterogeneous l0Od was S3.56, while the
manurial value of the carbonaceous food
was only SLIP. From this it may be seen
that the cheapest food lin price, may be
the more costly compared with some other
food when the final results are obtained.
and that it is not economical to rely on
fattening (carbonaceous) foods entirely if
rapid gain In weight is desired.